Lucas Malacari of Pica & Repica interprets the theme Spicy, literally.
Lucas discusses the origin of chili pepper plants and the mechanisms that make us feel heat. He shares the incredible diversity of these plants and how humans quickly became attracted to spicy food. Lucas illustrates his talk with his personal experiences as a biologist and chili grower.
About the speaker
Lucas Malacari grows chili peppers and produces hot sauce in Echallens, Switzerland. He developed an interest in plant diversity and became passionate about chili peppers while volunteering on South American farms in his early adulthood.
He studied agronomy and biology and wrote a master's thesis on the domestication of chili peppers based on experiments conducted in Oaxaca, Mexico. During his thesis, he learned many fascinating things about the history and biology of these plants.
In 2017, he grew dozens of plants as a hobby with a farmer friend and has now tested over 300 different varieties from all over the world. His main goal is to find the tastiest ones that are adapted to the Swiss climate and turn them into flavourful hot sauces with local ingredients. In 2022, he created the company Pica & Repica to reach more consumers and chili enthusiasts and to be able one day to make a living from this activity in Switzerland.
Favorite quotes from this talk
Photos from this talk See all
Hosted by
Sev52
Avenue de Sévelin 52
Lausanne, Vaud Switzerland 1004
Date
Partners
Trigo Urban Bakehouse
SEV52
Ragi
Host Sophie Zhao-Bovay
Partnerships Manager Patricia Sch.
Social Media Manager Diana Rikasari
Organizer Monica Ray Scott
Videographer Sassan Salamian
LinkedIn Manager Steph Obry
Creative Visual Notetaker Lama Tassabihji-Adra
Designer Rocio Egio Perez
Photographer Aurélie Jouanigot
Event Day Volunteer Naia Magunagoikoetxea
Event Day Volunteer Renata Roth
