Carlo Cracco, the starred chef famous for his gruff character, actually knows how to promote ethical causes and for the common good: in Rome, on the occasion of the annual council of governors of Ifad, he presented the state of his "recipes for change" , the Recipes for change launched in June on World Environment Day.
La Moroccan truffle lamb tagine is Cracco's recipe for raising awareness on climate change. He spoke about it himself before the heads of state and government representatives gathered in Rome for the Ifad Council (International Fund for Agricultural Development), the operational arm of FAO for projects to defeat hunger in the world. The idea is to field the world's most important chefs, including Carlo Cracco, to draw attention to the impact that climate change is having on many of the world's traditional foods.
Cracco in March 2018, visited the Highlands of Morocco to discover the secrets that lie in the preparation of Lamb tagine with Moroccan truffle. Precisely in that part of the world the highlands have been affected by desertification and excessive grazing which has left these vast areas devoid of vegetation and traditional foods such as the Moroccan truffle at risk. From that moment on, Cracco decided to participate in the Recipes for Change campaign.
The one who presented himself to the governors of IFAD is an unprecedented Cracco and not the one everyone saw screaming in the Hell's Kitchen Italia program, played in America by the equally gruff Gordon Ramsay, staring and then screaming and often negative judgment.
In Morocco, a project funded by Ifad is working to stop the advance of the desert, collaborating with local communities and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The project promotes sustainable management of natural resources by reintroducing native plants, fencing areas and building micro-dams.
“Climate change is a fact – Carlo Cracco usually repeats to explain his involvement in the field – it is difficult to go back. Perhaps we can slow down this process, being here helps to understand how much human work matters: the important thing is to try to build something for those who live here, so that they stay here”.
The food and at the same time film project highlights how small farmers face the catastrophic impacts of climate change and overheating in their daily lives, with the aim of preserving culinary traditions.
