Identity, food and culture: “Taste without waste”

Food and the practices related to its production and consumption cover a symbolic value, expression of the local identities in a world witnessing product globalization and taste standardization. Food is realized using the noblest part of precious raw materials wich, according to climate, culture, history and folklore, embody the true essence and spirit of the territory. As in an handmade process, they are transformed by tools and expert hands for obtaining a final product. What in this phase is discarded, rather than becoming a waste, can become a matter for “sustainable making”, inspiring designers in the making of new materials and products able to provide a plus of emotional experience. The paper will present the ongoing research project “Taste without waste”, which carries out the virtuous process through which matters becomes food, waste and then new materials and products. The food waste is not considered as a filler anymore. Through the exaltation of its sensory-perceptual features, its re-use and re-evaluation is seen as a tool for the valorization of the territory and its uniqueness, as well as a tool for people eco-education. Design joins the relevance of territory valorization thanks to its ability to see and emphasize what materials and product can express, inspiring changes and promoting ethical attitudes and behaviours.