EALLU Cookbook

Arctic Indigenous Youth won Best Food Book of the World, across all categories!
The 22nd Gourmand International Cookbook Award was held last year in Yantai, China. An international group of young indigenous peoples participated in this major Food Culture event in the world with their cookbook entitled: “EALLU –Food, Knowledge and How We Have Thrived on the Margins”.

The Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group endorsed a project called ‘EALLU: Indigenous Youth, Arctic Change and Food Culture’. Eallu means ‘herd’ in Sámi and the project was led by the Association of World Reindeer Herders. The fact that Arctic indigenous peoples initiated and led the project helped to enhancing local capacity by competence and confidence building, project experience generation and international exposure for indigenous youth.

The goal of the project was to investigate reindeer herder’s food culture through the lens of traditional knowledge, adaptation to climate change and youth. Over 50 authors have participated in the elaboration of this cookbook that does not only share the ingredients of the food, but also its critical context and importance.

The Chair of Association of World Reindeer Herders, Mikhail Pogodaev says in an interview that: “This is about Arctic indigenous peoples´ deep knowledge about food, raw materials, processing and conservation, food security, health and wellbeing – It’s about our food traditions, our traditional nomadic lifestyles, our local economies, our philosophy and our worldviews”.
Indigenous peoples participation in the Barents Cooperation is crucial. The Working Group of Indigenous Peoples (WGIP) will arrange the Barents Indigenous Peoples Congress and Summit in the end of May in Lycksele, Sweden.