Following the participation led by Taitung County Magistrate April Yao in the 2024 Terra Madre – Salone del Gusto in Italy, six teams from Taitung’s Slow Food community recently traveled to Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, to join the second Terra Madre Japan 2025 in Minamata. They shared Taitung’s culinary culture and exchanged experiences with more than 80 Slow Food groups from across Japan.
Minamata is known globally for the 1956 mercury poisoning incident “Minamata Disease.” After decades of environmental restoration and the promotion of organic agriculture, the city became Japan’s first “Environmental Model City” in 1992. Its transformation into a place where people reconnect with nature made it the chosen host city for this year’s event.
The event featured forums, cooking workshops, and local markets, bringing together Slow Food representatives from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and other regions. Invited by the organizers, the Taitung County Government presented six teams: Sunrise Collective, Aiyu Passion, Truly Wine, Meet Marlin, Alanger Coffee, and Kaiana Workshop. Their showcases highlighted Taitung’s diverse culinary expressions—from Amis siraw (salted pork) traditions and fermented food culture to native aiyu, the Slow Fish movement, and nature-based tableware—echoing the conference theme: restoring the connection between people and nature.
Among them, Aiyu Passion took the main stage to share the story of Taiwan’s native aiyu and conduct a live culinary demonstration, drawing enthusiastic participation from Japanese and international audiences. Nearly twenty Slow Food practitioners from Taitung joined the showcase, allowing the essence and flavors of Taitung to shine on the global stage.
The Taitung County Government noted that the delegation also visited neighboring regions in Kumamoto to study food and agricultural development, including local chestnut industries, the Aso beef certification system, and century-old breweries. These visits provided insights into Japan’s local revitalization and sustainable industry practices. Looking ahead, Taitung aims to strengthen international exchanges and apply these experiences to advance local Slow Food development and sustainable agriculture.
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