More about this project
What's the story behind authentic tortillas
from Muscatine and Italian sausage from Des Moines? Or how
about the sweet corn variety your grandfather grew for
years, or the family kolache recipe?
Folklorist Riki Saltzman wants to learn about Iowa's food
stories as part of a research project funded by the Center's
Marketing and Food Systems Initiative. Saltzman, who is
folklife coordinator for the Iowa Arts Council, will be
documenting five to 10 place-based foods in Iowa that have
both geographic and cultural connections.
"Outside of Maytag blue cheese and Amana meats, which are
known beyond the state, there are few examples of foods
marketed for their value to tourism," Saltzman said. "Many
states and countries are known for particular wines, cheeses
or other foods and have tourist-destination 'food heritage
areas' that attract economic development dollars from
government and businesses."
She is looking for stories about food products or crops that
meet at least two of these criteria:
-
Ingredients must be grown and processed
in Iowa.
-
The food product or crop must have some
heritage basis - historical, ethnic, ecological or
geographic.
-
The food must have some kind of "story"
related to it, making its Iowa connection clear.
If you have food stories to share, contact
Saltzman at (515) 242-6195,
riki.saltzman@iowa.gov.
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