Festival de Cultura, Arte e Gastronomia de Santo Antônio do Salto

Abstract

The Santo Antônio do Salto Art, Culture and Gastronomy Festival showcases the richness of Minas Gerais cuisine and its most striking features, especially the strong connection with tradition and the transmission of culinary knowledge between generations. Held in the municipality of Ouro Preto, the event highlights the fundamental role of women in the local economy, as they are primarily responsible for the organization and execution of the entire festival, with men generally only responsible for building the stalls and transporting the preparations from their homes to the place of sale. The festival revives values deeply rooted in Minas Gerais culture, such as hospitality, receptiveness, and the habit of sharing conversations and affection around the table. Pastries, coffees, teas made from leaves harvested in backyards, and typical dishes make up a culinary variety that celebrates the flavors of the territory. At the slow pace of the district, the event reaffirms the importance of tradition and highlights food as the main element in the transmission of local knowledge and skills. The Minas Gerais cuisine presented at the festival is prepared in a way that values ingredients found in the district itself, incorporating various unconventional edible plants (PANC's). The vegetable gardens and orchards are a key element, and the wood-burning stove is the heart of the kitchen, built in the middle of the district's main square to give more authenticity to what originally happens in the kitchens of the homes. The festival evokes all the values present in Minas Gerais homes, such as hospitality, receptiveness, and the gatherings that always occur in the kitchens, with a wide variety of culinary offerings, such as traditional sweets, coffee, teas made from garden leaves, and typical dishes that add flavor to conversations around the tables. The passage of time in the district is slow and gradual, reinterpreting the importance of Minas Gerais tradition, with food being the highlight of this celebration, representing the transmission of knowledge and skills. This festival also represents the cuisine of Ouro Preto, with its very peculiar and deeply rooted characteristics. Even with the distance between the district and the city center, the festival is representative and is part of the calendar of the Department of Culture and Tourism. Keywords: Festival. Gastronomy. Vegetable gardens. Minas Gerais cuisine.