A conference in Trebinje and a trip to Turin put the food heritage of Eastern Herzegovina in the spotlight

In the villages of Eastern Herzegovina, food is more than a meal: it holds the history and identity of the region. Recipes and production methods passed down through generations survive in small households, many of them run by women. This heritage was the focus of the conference “The role and importance of the villages of Eastern Herzegovina in preserving local gastronomy and identity“, held on 21 September at the Museum of Herzegovina in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slow Food Trebinje Herzegovina organised the conference to mark its 20th anniversary. The association leads the SMART ERA pilot in the region. The 48 participants included many of the local producers and stakeholders involved in the pilot, and they gave very positive feedback. The team also showed how SMART ERA is helping to make local producers more visible: so far, 60 producers have joined the pilot’s digital platforms.

Eastern Herzegovina’s flavours are now reaching an international audience. At Terra Madre in Turin, Slow Food’s international gathering of food communities, Milica Kovačević of Slow Food Trebinje Herzegovina and a local producer are presenting two of the region’s specialities: kajmak in a sack and Herzegovinian honey. Visitors get to meet a food culture that is little known outside the Balkans, and producers get the chance to make new contacts.

Find out more about the conference here and about the East Herzegovina pilot here.