Music, with Deolinda and flamenco singer Miguel Poveda, culinary workshops, conferences, and, of course, good cuisine, with cataplanas or carob and fig jams. If you go to the Mediterranean Diet Fair, from the 7th to the 10th of September, in Tavira, you will find this (and much more).
The event follows the lines of last year and Jorge Botelho, president of the Chamber, has no doubts: «there is every reason» to head to Tavira in these four days.
One of the novelties this year is, even so, the reinforcement of the showcookings, in charge of the In Loco association and the Tourism Schools of Faro and from Vila Real de Santo António. The Mercado da Ribeira will become a true gastronomic stage.
Tradition and ancient flavors, but also innovation, new products, new recipes and sensory experiences will mark this year's edition of show cooking, always based on the Mediterranean Diet.
The program is "ambitious", according to In Loco, also because the initiative will be joined by the Head Vítor Sobral, «one of the greatest references in gastronomy at national level and known for his unique way of interpreting and modernizing traditional Portuguese dishes».
O Head was the person chosen to represent Portugal in the “Medfest” project, which involves eight countries and is coordinated, in Portugal, by In Loco.
Continuing with the gastronomy, which is one of the important points of the event, the Fair will have a stand of Morocco, one of the representative communities of the Mediterranean Diet as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In the Moroccan space, it will be possible to find a «exhibition of typical products of the country», revealed Jorge Botelho, at the press conference for the presentation of the event, held this Wednesday, 30 August. And the most interesting thing is that it can be seen that “the culture we have is not that different compared to theirs. This is really a common heritage: we all eat more or less the same thing», added the mayor.
Another of the highlights of this Mediterranean Diet Fair is the intergovernmental conference of the seven representative communities, to be held on 8 September. Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Morocco will be present, so Tavira will have to "give assistance at an institutional level", according to Jorge Botelho, so that everything runs smoothly.
In fact, at the end of this conference, the rotating presidency, which was in charge of Tavira (the representative community of Portugal), will be transferred to Croatia.
Last year, one of the complaints of visitors to the Mediterranean Diet Fair was the fact that show times sometimes coincide. «People said they were in stress, because they were at a concert and another one was already starting. This year, we thought about combining schedules more», explained Jorge Botelho.
The music is also an important point of the event, as it is in the Mediterranean Diet. The main concerts will take place at Praça da República, at 22:30 pm, and there will be names such as Deolinda, on the 7th, Miguel Povedo, on the 8th, the fado singer Raquel Tavares, on the 9th, and to finalize HMB (10), in a “wink of an eye” to younger people.
Sangre Ibérico, Monda, António Chainho, Savina Yannattou (Greece) and Capitão Fausto perform, in turn, on the stage of the Castle.
A total of 141 stands can be found throughout the Fair, a number revealed by Jorge Queiroz, head of the Culture, Heritage and Museums Division of the Tavira Chamber and one of the workers at the event, with some new producers attending.
At “Largo do Brincar”, dedicated to the youngest, there will be traditional tales with António Fontinha, Puppets Mandrágora and Companhia Valdevinos, as well as the show “Mão Verde”, with music by Pedro Geraldes and rhymes sung by Capicua.
The Praça da Convivialidade will be the “nervous center”, in gastronomic terms, with proposals related to Portuguese cuisine from the sea and the mountains, as well as Iberian snacks.
Still, the event is not limited to this component. As Alexandra Gonçalves, regional director of Culture of the Algarve, illustrated, «in addition to partying», the Fair has «a strong pedagogical component».
For example: on the 8th, at 17:00 pm, there is the exhibition and tasting “Here there is tomato”, by Bernardino Ramos, and on the 9th, at 11:00 am, it will be the turn of Nídia Braz, from the University of Algarve, to give a lecture on “ the foods of the Mediterranean Diet”.
The organization of the event brings together entities from different areas, such as the Algarve's Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), the Regional Directorate of Culture and the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Algarve.
In fact, according to Jorge Botelho, throughout the year, "all institutions" came together so that nothing failed. In this sense, Francisco Serra, president of the CCDR, said that "we must have the capacity to, together, strengthen this project".
For that official, "one of the growth vectors that has been seen is the attraction of tourists with cultural interests, to visit an area related to tourism for experiences, such as participating in harvesting activities, for example".
Fernando Severino, regional director of Agriculture and Fisheries, insisted on stressing that this project was «the biggest in the Algarve in recent times».
When Desidério Silva, president of the RTA, stated that the success of the candidacy of the Mediterranean Diet for UNESCO's Intangible and Cultural Heritage, with Tavira being the Portuguese representative community, comes to «reinforce, make responsible and create demands on the partners».
Basically, this fair, which will have the Gilão river as a backdrop, and also want to promote the heritage of the historic center of Tavira, will "affirm what the Algarve's potential is", considered Jorge Botelho.
«The Mediterranean Diet has been increasingly a motor of attraction for the Algarve and we want a region all year round», he added.
There are no forecasts for visitors, but there will be “tens of thousands”, according to the mayor. “It will certainly be a flood. This year, the temperature will be better. For Tavira, the fair always has implications, such as where to park, but we are going to have alternative parks and everything will be signposted so that people can come in comfortably», he added.
Anyone who wants to follow the entire program “will have to walk very intensively”, but, in the International Year of Sustainable Tourism, a distinction that fits like a glove to this Fair, it will be “worth going to Tavira”, he concluded.
To consult the complete program of the Mediterranean Diet Fair click here
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