terroir, Part 1: Cheers to Dirt!

Let's pretend for a moment, shall we, that I am not someone who has eaten Cup Noodles for breakfast two days in a row, but rather someone who savors the effect of terroir on whatever she drinks and eats. Pretending is fun!

The concept of terroir is somewhat familiar to most of us as it applies to wine. According to The Bible, is it "[a]t its core...the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that region." It's a romantic notion, if nothing else. Unfortunately, it may not hold much weight. According to people like Alex Maltman, professor of dream dashing, the effect of soil on wine is not significant enough for humans to taste.

Fortunately, terroir is about more than just soil. Going back to more reputable sources (Wikipedia), it refers to "the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the manufacture of the product." The jerk-of-a-blog (actually a pretty good blog) that told me that soil is not directly related to taste redeemed itself by concluding with this:

I think consumers can be led down a path that connects soil and climate to taste in a very direct way. It's at this micro level when the interplay of soil composition, aspect of the land, micro climate, vine density, vine age, cover crop, irrigation routine and winemaker interaction can be explored in detail and some very good estimates can be made on how they affect the final wine.

Hooray! Romantic notions win again!

There is a case to be made that some people get a bit carried away with their ideals concerning soil and taste. Take Laura Parker, for example. Her "Taste of Place" installation is meant to explore two questions: "How does soil touch our lives and affect our food; and why does it matter?"

In the installation, participants are given samples of soil to which water is added, apparently simulating new rainfall. They take a big whiff of the dirt, and then eat food grown at the same farm. I was initially very intrigued by the whole concept after reading about it in the New York Times Magazine's most recent year in ideas issue. Intrigued, that is, until I watched this video. The participants are just too heavy a mix of pretentious and hippie for my taste.

Still, it does seem like an installation worthy of participation. At worst, it would be an opportunity to taste for oneself that there really is no connection between food and the dirt from which it sprung. At best, it can help the participant gain an understanding of the relationship between farm and plate (or at least justify his trendy claims that this relationship is palatable).

This would be interesting to try at home. I hope the folks at my local community garden don't mind if I play a little Peter Rabbit in their plots this summer...

Anyway, everyone raise their glasses and stay tuned for Part 2: Happy Pigs and Laughing Cows!

click on pictures for sources