The medronho wins a party in its own name this summer and presents itself to the public next weekend in Monchique. It is the 1st edition of the Medronho Festival that will take place in that Algarve village on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of July, together with the XV Feira do Presunto de Monchique.
Medronho brandy (a distilled drink with a high alcohol content) and melosa (honey and arbutus liqueur very popular for curing colds) are just two of the traditional products that will gain followers among visitors to the festival dedicated to the small round and warty berry of reddish tone.
But it's not just the berry that has use. The strawberry tree leaves are also used in folk medicine for their diuretic and antiseptic properties. Monchique secrets to discover these days.
The first event dedicated to fruit with a unique aroma and flavor and its derivatives will help promote and promote this excellent product that is increasingly attracting the attention of tourists.
For those who appreciate the medronho brandy, the Monchique Chamber recently published a «Itinerary of the Distilles of Medronho». If you still don't know the Monchique medronho or if you are an unconditional fan of the product, this is the ideal pretext for a visit to the Algarve mountains.
Varied program
The “serração” de Monchique, in S. Sebastião, will host the two fairs that aim to promote excellent local products: Medronho and its brandy, as well as the traditional Monchique ham.
In this space, in contiguous areas, various activities will be developed that aim to demonstrate to the visitor that the Municipality of Monchique has a lot to offer.
Initiatives related to Medronho will take place, such as the inauguration on the 20th of a photographic exhibition, and the presence of several brands of Aguardente de Medronho existing in Monchique, as well as the performance of the Coral Group of the Confraria do Medronho “Os Monchiqueiros”.
On Saturday afternoon, at 15 pm, a colloquium will take place on the strawberry tree and the process of analyzing Medronho brandy, by Ludovina Galego, professor at the University of Algarve, and Ricardo Jacinto, from the Technological Center for Experimentation of Medronho da “Cut Valada”.
Also with regard to Medronho, the XNUMXst International Contest of Medronho brandy cocktails from Monchique will take place, in the Classic and Flair aspects, throughout the entire Sunday afternoon.
Highlight also for the musical entertainment that will have as highlights the Folklore Festival at 17:30 pm on Saturday, with the performance of Rancho Folclórico de Moncarapacho (Algarve) and Rancho Folclórico de Benfica do Ribatejo (Ribatejo). Saturday night ends with a concert by Iran Costa at 22:00.
On Sunday there will be the performance of ballroom dancing classes at Clube da Nave and the Fitness Class at JDM in the afternoon.
At 22 pm, Toy, an artist well known to the Portuguese public, will take to the stage.
In parallel, activities will take place at the S. Sebastião park, such as the presence of inflatables, donkey rides and others, culminating with the presence of music at the S. Sebastião Viewpoint from midnight of the three days of the event, as well as an exhibition gastronomy associated with medronho and ham in participating restaurants.
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