We wanted to focus in Topic 2 New foods: investigating the potential of territorial diets and solutions in promoting regional or forgotten foods, monitoring the potential and impact of new foods and designing and implementing new business models and marketing approaches

We have interest on the recovery and revalorization of forgotten crops that were used for food in the past, such as black oats (Avena strigose) or proso millets (Panicum mileaceum), but were abandoned with the establishment of a modern diet based in a few major crops. We are willing to participate in a consortium aimed to valorize abandon crops though the analysis of functional value of those crops and the recovery of ancient recipes, history and traditions associated to them. In addition, we are interested in development of new foods with the fusion of new and traditional cuisines using forgotten foods. We also would like to investigate how to promote and make profitable those new fusion foods.

The CSIC is a public research institution with many institutes in multiple research areas. Our group is dedicated to plant genetics and breeding with emphasis in recovering the underused variation of local landraces and forgotten crops. We have a collection of traditional varieties of forgotten crops such as black oats and proso millets, and a knowledge of agronomic and compositional value of the varieties, as well as traditions associated to them. Our group have the facilities for evaluating different agronomic traits and collecting samples for the development of new products. In addition, we have some experience in collaborating with the private sector, specifically in the development of new gastronomic products from forgotten crops