A 10th edition of the Terra de Maio fair, held from the 26th to the 28th of May, at Centro Multiusos do Azinhal, in Castro Marim, was "a huge success", "with thousands of people" visiting the event, according to the local Council.
Visitors were attracted «by the local identity that the event promotes, from art, through to gastronomy, to music», says the Chamber of Castro Marim.
The day of the show “One (Her)Man Show”, by Herman José (Saturday, May 27), was the most popular.
Embracing the challenge proposed by the Castro Marim City Council, ANCCRAL (National Association of Breeding Goats in the Algarve) once again promoted the edition of the “Largest Goat Cheese of the Algarve Breed”, a fresh cheese weighing approximately 40 kilos and 80 centimeters in diameter, for which about 170 liters of milk and 1,5 kilos of fleur de sel from Castro Marim were needed.
In this, which was the 2nd edition of the initiative, three varieties of fresh cheese were served: genuine fresh cheese, fresh cheese with aromatic herbs and a novelty… fresh cheese with chocolate.
The “Algarvian Goat Race” once again animated the event. The competition, which chooses the best examples of the Algarvian breed goat, was attended by 11 producers from the territory of Baixo Guadiana and the awards ceremony took place on Sunday.
The Algarvian breed goat is a stout animal, which reaches around 50 kilos as an adult. With short, white fur and brown meshes of various shades, the Algarve goat is the result of a cross between the Algarve heath goat and the Moroccan goat (in the XNUMXth century) and a later cross with the Spanish alpine goat (in the early XNUMXth century). ).
«The number of herds of the Algarvian breed goat is growing in the municipality of Castro Marim», informs that municipality.
«In addition to being profitable in terms of meat production, the Algarve goat has excellent dairy potential, allowing not only its commercialization, but also the production of derivatives», considers the Chamber of Castro Marim.
“The cheese of this goat is a highly sought after product, recognized for its high quality and unique organoleptic characteristics, recognized as the healthiest cheese, being sold in large commercial areas and served in restaurants in the region”, he adds.
The Algarvian Goat Breed Contest was organized by the National Association of Breeders of Algarvian Goats (ANCCRAL) in collaboration with the Municipality of Castro Marim.
Live crafts, popular and traditional music, workshop, exhibition of Algarvian breed goats, workshops. of bread and cheese, donkey rides, live cooking demonstrations, taverns with varied local and Baixo Guadiana cuisine, falconry, children's entertainment, among many other attractions, also made this Land of May one more thing.
In this edition, there was also the exhibition “Artefactos do Mundo Rural”, courtesy of Clara Assunção, who brought a set of tools for working the land and the rural world, in an evocation of memories, people, affections and conditions lived in the decades in Portugal.
The fashion show “Bioco Tradition”, by Lurdes Silva, and the showcookings from the mini Head Pedro Jorge, former competitor of the program Junior Master Chef, and Head executive of the four restaurants of the Macdonald Monchique Resort & Spa Louis Anjos also animated the event.
The promotion of the Algarvian breed goat and the knowledge and flavors associated with it were, therefore, the motto of this event, «which has been growing and conquering space in the cultural programming calendar in the Algarve and also in Andalusia», according to the municipality castromarinese.
The objective of the event is to promote local and regional products resulting from activities related to agriculture and cattle raising, as well as the activities themselves, and also to increase the volume of sales through direct marketing.
The organization of showcookings was integrated within the scope of the project Choose Our Food, of the Odiana Association, whose objectives are to maximize the potential of natural resources and regional products of the Lower Guadiana through the reinforcement of business cooperation between the Agrifood and Tourism sectors, with a view to raising awareness of critical factors of competitiveness, approved in the Support System a Collective Actions – Qualification – Low Density, financed by CRESC ALGARVE 2020, through FEDER.
Terra de Maio was organized by the Municipality of Castro Marim and the Parish Council of Azinhal, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning, Turismo de Portugal, School of Hotel and Tourism of Vila Real de St António, National Association of Breeding Goats in the Algarve (ANCCRAL), Casa do Povo do Azinhal, Recreational and Cultural Association of Azinhal, Eurocidade do Guadiana, brand Natural.pt, Gran Plaza Tavira and Associação Odiana and was integrated into the Blue Flag program.
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