Between rounds of negotiations, delegates will enjoy flavors such as maniçoba, açaí and pirarucu, all prepared with more than 10 tons of agroecological ingredients obtained through fair and sustainable food systems.
A sample of ancient wisdom
“Our kitchen will feature canhapira, an indigenous Marajoara dish that is still part of the local cuisine today,” Ms. Marajoara explained.
The dish comes from the Marajoara people, an indigenous group originating from the island of Marajó, a vast river island where the Amazon meets the Atlantic.
“There will be a lot of açaí. We managed to secure its inclusion despite the previous controversy.
“We will also serve maniçoba, a dish made from cassava leaves cooked for seven days with pork, as well as tucupi, jambu, tacacá and the iconic fish of the Amazon, the pirarucu. We plan to buy at least two tons of this product alone.”
Tainá is the founder of Iacitatá Food Culture Pointthe cultural and culinary collective selected to oversee the COP30 kitchen, which will serve all attendees, from presidents to porters.
Indigenous activist and chef Tainá Marajoara, from Brazil, at the Food and Agriculture Museum and Network in Rome.
food of peace
More than just a meal, the ancestral cook sees this culinary endeavor as a statement. “We want to show that it is possible to live in peace. We need to live in peace,” he said.
“Throughout COP30, we are building a space of ancestral diplomacy, making it clear that recognizing the link between indigenous and local communities and food sovereignty is urgent.
“As long as ancestral lands are violated and violence spreads through forests, rivers and fields, our people and our culture will continue to be murdered.”
Speaking from Rome, where she was attending the World Food Forum at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ms. Marajoara highlighted that the COP30 kitchen will embody the values of sustainability, justice and respect for life.
Tucupi is a yellow broth extracted from wild yucca, traditional in Amazonian cuisine.
Rooted in climate justice
For the chef, indigenous food systems represent much more than sustenance: they are a living form of environmental stewardship and spiritual connection.
“This knowledge has been invisible for too long,” he said. “Leading the COP30 kitchen is an act of cultural and ancestral diplomacy.”
He hopes the initiative will become a model for future international events. “This will be the first COP to feature a community-based family farming kitchen. This shows that it can be done and that it should not stop here. Let COP30 become a historic milestone, one that inspires similar initiatives around the world.”
Food and conservation
Marajoara highlighted that food sovereignty and environmental conservation are inseparable.
“The world is collapsing,” he warned. “There is no more time for endless negotiations. Protecting the territories of indigenous and local communities is a concrete and effective way to safeguard the planet’s climate.”