Featured Product

Louisiana mirliton

Food advocates fight to keep this Caribbean-native staple of Gulf Coast cuisine alive, in the post-Katrina landscape

Nearly lost in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita, the traditional Louisiana mirliton…

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Describing and Promoting Forgotten Flavors

The Ark of Taste is a living collection of distinctive and meaningful foods in danger of extinction. It was created to point out the existence of these products, draw attention to the risk of their extinction within a few generations, and invite everyone to take action to help protect them. In some cases this might be by buying and consuming them, in some by telling their story and supporting their producers, and in others, such as the case of endangered wild species, this might mean eating less or none of them in order to preserve them and favor their reproduction. Slow Food works to identify foods on the Ark of Taste in order to safeguard biodiversity and preserve our varied culinary heritage.

Since 1996, more than 1,100 products from over 50 countries have been added to the international Ark of Taste. The US Ark of Taste profiles over 200 rare regional foods, and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate our country's diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage.

Nominate a Product to the Ark of Taste

To qualify for the US Ark of Taste, food products must be:

• Outstanding in terms of taste—as defined in the context of local traditions and uses
• At risk biologically or as culinary traditions
• Able to be sustainably produced
• Culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice
• Produced in limited quantities, by farms or by small-scale processing companies

Product categories include vegetables, fruits and berries, nuts, cereals, cheeses, fish, shellfish, game, livestock, poultry, beverages, honey, spices, syrups, vinegars, and more. For a complete list of Ark categories, click here.

Nominations will be reviewed by Regional Ark of Taste Committees, which are forming across the country. New U.S. Ark of Taste nomination forms will be available here soon. Take a look at the international forms to get an idea of what they will look like: Nominate a product

Download the U.S. Ark of Taste Brochure

Search for producers of Ark products in the LocalHarvest directory

Register for the free LocalHarvest directory if you sell Ark products

Learn About the Betsy Lydon Ark Award

The Betsy Lydon Ark Award recognizes an Ark of Taste farmer, grower or food producer whose work reflects the goals of Slow Food USA and who, if better known and celebrated, would benefit the wider community of food producers. Producers can nominate themselves, or can be nominated by a community member or peer.

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Get Involved and Learn More

Many foods fall out of favor because they do not fit into our industrial food production system. Although the foods may still be produced on a small scale, their flavors, fragrances and textures slip into obscurity. Through action we can help preserve these foods.

Here are several ways to get involved:

• Encourage a local chef or restaurant to use heirloom or heritage foods
• Grow heirloom fruits and vegetables in your garden
• Host a dinner or picnic featuring regional foods that deserve a long-term place on our plate
• Organize a field trip to seek out the rare foods in your area
• Start a recovery project for an endangered food or food production method
• Become a seed saver or fruit explorer and organize seasonal events to exchange varieties with others in your community
• Nominate a food deserving attention from your region to the Ark of Taste
• Join Slow Food USA and become active in your local chapter!