The sensory capability of contemporary man has diminished considerably. The senses of touch, taste and smell have undergone deep decline. Our increasingly scarce time and the speed of our lifestyles is depriving us of the instruments that might enable us to have a greater, more varied and authentic awareness of the world around us. Consequently, training our senses again, resharpening perception, are essential aspects in the philosophy of Slow Food. Younger generations, in particular, run the risk of losing not only their links with the land and its relation with the seasons, but also the very sense of the act of feeding. This is why the Taste Laboratory has emerged, as the most widely used instrument by Slow Food to disseminate the culture of food and wine through sensory workshops for adults, with single item or comparative tastings.
In the “classrooms” of the Taste Laboratories, housed in the facilities at BEC, participants can taste and compare different products (cheeses, delicatessen, fish, meats, wines, etc.), discovering the transformation phases under the guidance of the producers themselves and Slow Food experts. It is an experience that reminds participants, at least in its systematisation, of school lessons: a quite particular school, the taste school.
