Join the Mammamiaaa community! How? Simple, participate by organizing a Mammamiaaa meal!

Mammamiaaa is one of the projects spearheaded by Matera 2019, European Capital of Culture, and is part of the “Roots and Routes” theme.

Becoming part of the Mammamiaaa community is very simple, anyone can join! You just need a family recipe, a story linked to it, and the desire to share and document both at a lunch or dinner which you host.

The meal is arranged for friends and family by the Organiser (download the meal guide), who chooses the recipe, determines the number of guests, the time and place. During the preparation (and then during the meal) it is important to record everything with photos videos, and voice recordings. These will be shared on Facebook and Instagram and your meal becomes part of the great digital archive of Mammamiaaa.

What is Mammamiaaaa?

Mammamiaaa is a celebration of food and relationships – the social ways in which diverse communities produce, distribute,
preserve, and consume food in their daily lives. The emphasis is on care, more than consumption. It’s about a connection to a place, and a bridge between the generations.

In 2018 and 2019, thousands of meals will be organised across Italy and Europe in a spirit of conviviality. At each meal, family members and guests will share stories about food and cooking. The stories will be collected – in writing, or as a recording or video – and uploaded to social media channels.

In spring 2019, a huge installation will be realised in Matera, as analogic memory of the whole project. And then, in September 2019 a grand dinner will be organized to celebrate the national and international community of Mammamiaaa.

As a legacy of Matera 2019, an Atlas of Social Food will be created. A platform curated by John Thackara, made up of three parts:

→ An atlas of social projects linked to food, with the aim to make them visible and findable
→ A forum in Basilicata of European social food curators to share good practices
→ The publishing of the Social Food Green Paper

The 5 rules of a Mammamiaaa Dinner: Some important things to know and follow to get the full Mammamiaaa experience

1. Read the five rules and share them with your guests.
2. Become social media addicted for one day: each participant is (strongly!) invited to publish on their social channel at least one photo and / or Instagram story of the meal. The social media channel of the project are Facebook and Instagram. The profiles which should be tagged are @mammamiaaa.it and @matera2019. The official hashtags: #mammamiaaa and #matera2019.
3. The lunch or dinner are free. The Cook is responsible for preparing the main dish; the other guests contribute – the wine, bread, cake, fruit, etc.
4. There is no minimum or maximum number of guests, but it is important that at every meal one person agrees to be: 
5. Have fun!!

Download the Storyteller Guide from here.

For more information, visit the official Mammamiaaa website!