A Foodie Manifesto

Foodies spend a lot of time worrying about provenance and there are a plethora of seals, signs and phrases that seem to confuse more than they convince. What if you could always tell where your food came from, what it was made of, how it was made and above all, how good it tastes?

Well, there's a simple answer. Protected Designation of Origin is the European Law that that protects all of these things for you. Whether it's the salty tang of Parmagianno Regianno that acts as a lactic seasoning for much of the Italian palate or the sweet porcine meaty hit of Parma ham, everytime you pick up a PDO product you know what to expect.

Unlike the grading standards that give us perfect but tasteless peppers and acidic watery tomatoes, this kitemark is about quality and what that really means is "it tastes of what it is supposed to". Try a cheap block of cheddar side by side with a sliver of Montgomery's from Gloucester. The first one is bland, rubbery and requires a thick layer of pickle to make it come to life in your mouth. The real thing is a royal, tangy, crumbly luscious cheese packed full of unami that nearly moos in your face when you taste it. They are both cheddar but one of them has PDO designation and is called "West Country Cheddar". You can guess which.

And it's not just restricted to your dinner plate. The wines of Burgundy, the Douro valley and Port are all PDO products.
This is the power of legislation in retaining food culture. The reason that foodies everywhere use these products is because they taste great. The reason they taste great, is because there are laws that protect the way they are made. They are the sign of a society that has pride in its produce, hasn't yet succumbed to the march of agricultural monoculture and values it's artisan producers.

Always been to busy eating and drinking to get round to championing a cause? Well, now's your chance. Keep a food tradition alive and every time you wander down the shops, buy PDO.