More than 30 tons of sweet potatoes will be consumed in Aljezur over the next three days, during the Sweet Potato Festival, which starts tomorrow, at the town's Espaço Multiusos, and continues until Sunday. In 2015, the City Council hopes to attract 30 visitors to the event that celebrates the “best sweet potato in the world”.
In statements to the Sul Informação, José Amarelinho, president of the Chamber, added that “this year we hope to surpass 30 thousand visitors. There are many novelties, from the outset the most unlikely ways to cook the sweet potato of the “Lyra variety”, brought by the confectioners and the chefs who will prepare this fantastic product».
In terms of space, «there will be a new Chamber stand which, among other things, will allow the discovery of the municipality. We also increased the space for animation», reveals the mayor.
In all, more than 100 stands will be present at the Sweet Potato Festival, which is much more than that. “The requests have increased. There is an ever-increasing demand. It is more than a gastronomy festival, it is a fair of economic activities, which assumes great importance for the county. This year, there are between 20 and 30 new exhibition spaces, which gives more strength to this great gastronomic festival».
According to José Amarelinho, «this is a festival of great importance that reinforces the agricultural associations of the municipality. It is also a tribute to the Lyra potato producers that continue to increase, as the hectares, in the municipality of Aljezur, with this production. It's a challenge we have: we want more production and the next festivals will show this growth».
The mayor estimates that more than half of the production of the municipality's current sweet potato harvesting cycle is sold during these three days of the festival. «According to data from the Association of Sweet Potato Producers of Aljezur, this harvest cycle had 60 tons and about 30 tons will be consumed in these three days. This number only reflects the public sale of the Producers Association, which sells French fries, baked potatoes or uncooked potatoes. If we consider all the confectioners, all the restaurants that use sweet potatoes to make their products, this number rises exponentially», says José Amarelinho.
This high demand for “Lyra” sweet potato reflects, for the mayor, that “the consumer is informed and seeks the Protected Geographical Indication seal”.
This year, even the weather helps a visit to the Sweet Potato Festival, «It won't rain and the weather will be somewhat cold, which turns out to be suitable for eating sweet potatoes. Therefore, I invite people to come and celebrate this product from Aljezur, the best sweet potato in the world. Then, in addition to the festival, there are beaches, museums, monuments, countless activities that can be done in Aljezur in these three days», concluded José Amarelinho.
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