Gastronomy Archives | Page 2 of 2

Amazonas picante: Los ajíes de la selva

Posted on July 8, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

Cuando Colón se encontró con el Nuevo Mundo, sus pueblos indígenas recibieron el nombre de “indios”, una designación errónea de magnitud histórica. Una fruta hasta entonces desconocida fuera de las Américas también recibió un nombre que pertenecía a otra: el pimiento. Para los españoles que probaron esta fruta por primera vez, su picor trajo a la mente los granos de pimienta que habían sido conocidos y comercializados en Eurasia, y así el fruto del Capsicum recibió el nombre de una especie totalmente diferente. […]

Amazon Heat: Chilies from the Rainforest

Posted on July 8, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

When Columbus stumbled upon the New World, its indigenous people became known as “Indians”, a misnomer of historical magnitude. Then, too, a fruit until then unknown outside of the Americas received a name that belonged to another: the pepper. To the Spaniards who tasted this fruit for the first time, its heat brought to mind the peppercorns that had been known and traded in Eurasia, and so the fruit of the Capsicum received the name of an entirely different species. […]

The Hottest Chillies in Eden

Posted on June 30, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

Maybe it’s globalization, maybe it’s development, or perhaps digital innovations and social media; but while we are ever more connected to each other, we find ourselves more disconnected from the very things that keep us alive. Amidst our computers, phones and other devices, with so much information, I find it staggering that I need to be reminded of my connection to Earth: the origin of the water I use, how the air I breathe has come to be, where my food comes from. […]

La vida de la selva tiene forma de cacao

Posted on April 28, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

Tenemos el honor de tener a Ignacio Medina como escritor invitado. Ignacio comparte nuestro compromiso con el poder transformativo de la comida y comunica su pasión con excepcional claridad y talento instintivo. Un día en Panamá cenando en un restaurante muy fino, al día siguiente dando una conferencia en un festival gastronómico en Santiago. Un par de días de regreso en casa, Perú, para cruzar el desierto y enseñar en Pachacutec –su proyecto en conjunto con el chef Gastón Acurio […]

Cacao and the life of the rainforest

Posted on April 28, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

We’re honored to have Ignacio Medina as a guest contributor to Canopy Bridge as someone who shares our commitment to the transformative power of food and ingredients and communicates that passion with exceptional clarity and flair. One day in Panama dining at a fine new restaurant, […]

The Great Amazonian Pantry: How Eating the Products of the Rainforest Could Save the Earth

Posted on April 13, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

This Article was originally published on the HuffingtonPost.com website. There is a type of river snail — a churo — in the Peruvian Amazon, large and meaty, that is especially delicious when slow-braised and served in the shell with a bright sauce of golden tapioca pearls. Indigenous people harvest the giant snail when the forest is flooded and transformed into an otherworldly realm where, because of the rising water level, fish swim among the majestic kapok tree and through the umbrella-like branches of the cecropia tree. […]

Coffee farming with giants in Galapagos

Posted on March 11, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

World famous as a crucible of evolution and for their remarkable flora and fauna, the Galapagos Islands are both fascinating and fragile. But amidst the giant tortoises, diving iguanas and blue-footed boobies, a handful of farmers are also trying to put these islands on the map as a source of exceptional coffee. […]

Cutting Out the Middleman: Not always the best strategy?

Posted on February 20, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

The gap between what farmers and forest dwellers receive for their products and what these are ultimately sold for in rich country markets is often staggering. Adding more value to sustainable natural products and selling them more directly are often seen as options for closing this gap to help producers keep a bigger share of the final product’s value. And while there are some great examples of capturing value this way, the much reviled ‘middlemen’ often play crucial […]

Gustu: From farm (and forest and river) to table in Bolivia

Posted on January 22, 2015 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

“They are so bright…so many colors…so much…so different…diverse” Elizabeth Abel of the cutting-edge restaurant Gustu, struggles for the right words as she answers my question about Amazon products, her hesitancy reflecting the flood of images that came to mind as soon as I mentioned the word “Amazon.” But her point is clear: it is a vast multicolor world of natural wealth. “Traditional uses…” she adds, “are part of the magic […]

Putting the spotlight on producers at Ecuador’s Latitud Cero

Posted on October 16, 2014 (November 10, 2022) by Canopy Bridge

“We need to codify products, see who produces them, where, how…and connect them more effectively. We must change lives through gastronomy.” Gaston Acurio at Latitud Cero. Ecuador’s diverse cuisine had its chance to shine last week at the Latitud Cero Ecuador Cultura Gourmet festival in that country’s highland capital, Quito. Often overshadowed by Peru, its more gastronomically prominent neighbor to the south, Ecuador is coming into its own with a cuisine that integrates […]