Promoting nomadic and sustainable culinary culture: the Basque Culinary World Prize 2022 goes to Fatmata Binta

Western-African chef Fatmata Binta won the 2022 Basque Culinary World Prize  for promoting sustainable nomadic culinary culture and exploring the diaspora of Western African cuisine through her innovative pop-up project "Dine on a Mat". 

Originally from Sierra Leone, Fatmata Binta, aka Chef Binta, has become a point of reference for nomadic and modern Fulani cuisine. The heir of the traditions of the largest nomadic tribe in Africa (with over 20 million people who move tirelessly through large territories), she’s committed to spreading the essence of this culture with her project "Dine on a Mat", a nomadic restaurant that has offered an immersive experience in three continents, showcasing the way of eating and interacting with food of the Fulani people. With her pop-up cuisine project, launched in 2018, Binta aims to present ancestral techniques, including the sharing of cereals, spices and most of all storytelling and conversations. “Dine on a Mat” allows her to transform the dining experience into a precious source of dialogue and understanding; of learning and sustainable practices.

The Fulani Kitchen Foundation
This offer of interactive dinners also servse to raise funds for community projects. Binta has created a foundation destined to women and girls from all the Fulani regions, the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, whose goal is to satisfy social, training and community needs, as well as transforming ingredients like fonio into sources of revenue, economic independence, food and job safety for these rural communities. For Binta this project is a platform to support the development of the community, the creation of revenue and to promote education. More than 300 families from 12 communities and 4 regions in Ghana currently benefit from this project.

Il Basque Culinary World Prize

The winner is nominated by a jury made of some of the most influential chefs in the world. This year, Binta was chosen with particular attention by the jury of the BCWP made of members of the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center, during the culinary summit which took place in Gerona under the name of “Comida que acoge” (Food that Welcomes), presided by chef Joan Roca (Spain, El Celler de Can Roca). Other important chefs are part of the jury such as chef Gastón Acurio (Peru), Michel Bras (France), Manu Buffara (Brazil), Mauro Colagreco (Argentina/France), Dominique Crenn (France/USA), Trine Hahnemann (Denmark), Enrique Olvera (Mexico), Pia Leon (Peru), Narda Lepes (Argentina), Elena Reygadas (Mexico) and Josh Niland (Australia).

The BCWP, having reached its 7^th edition, continues to bet on the transformative potential of gastronomy, sharing inspiring projects of chefs whose positive impact goes far beyond food. In every edition of the award, with the choice of the winner and the commended projects, the BCWP takes the opportunity to send a message to the international community, showing the different areas in which a chef can have a positive impact on society. In 2021 the award highlighted the importance of educating future generations to a healthy diet. The BCWP continues now its mission, searching for examples of the transformative force of gastronomy.

On top of Binta, the jury awarded the activity of two more chefs who were commended:

●    Douglas McMaster (United Kingdom) for the constant dedication to zero waste in gastronomy and for his pioneering project “Zero Waste Cooking School”.
●    Edson Leite (Brazil) for focusing on the poor areas of Brazil and having created programmes of culinary training and personalised support for young people seeking a job opportunity through a training project called “Gastronomia Periférica”.

 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso