The Octopus Week kicks off in Quarteira this Saturday, September 30th, with the inauguration of two exhibitions and an opening lunch.
In this initiative, which lasts until 8 October, “dozens of restaurants” will participate and will “manufacture the eight tentacle mollusk in a variety of ways. The dishes are all different and are not repeated among the participating establishments», explains Armalgarve Polvo, which organizes the event in partnership with the Quarteira and Vilamoura Entrepreneurs Association (AEQV).
According to the association, «there will be everything from the most traditional and well-known, to culinary creations specially designed for the event. The variety on offer is, therefore, vast and promises to please the most daring palates».
The list of establishments and their dishes are published on the AEQV page.
Throughout the event, the restaurants will offer a menu with dessert and coffee, for a recommended price of 15 euros.
There will also be a competition between the houses participating in the event, to determine the best recipe. The jury, consisting of restaurant entrepreneur Alberto Beatriz Afonso, chef Carlos Silva of the Vila Galé group and teacher and trainer André Rodrigues, will «taste all the dishes in the competition and evaluate according to the established parameters», adds Armalgarve.
Customers will also have a “vote on the matter” and each test entitles them to a voting form. In the end, the winner will be determined with the joint votes, in the ratio of 70%-30%.
Although the gastronomic exhibition starts on Saturday, the 30th, the initiatives aimed at marking the second edition of the event start on the 28th, with the inauguration of the octopus sculpture exhibition, at 11:30 am, on the Vilamoura Marina promenade.
This year, the seniors of Academia do Saber, in Quarteira, «were invited to give free rein to their creativity and, using the most diverse materials, with a focus on recycled material, prepare original creations on the theme “Octopus from Quarteira, the best octopus of the world”, explains Armalgarve.
On the following day, on the 29th of October, at the same time, the exhibition of photography works by students of the photography course at Escola Secundária Dr Laura Ayres opens. The students "were challenged to photograph the cephalopod mollusc, recognizing that it is an animal of great potential and versatility." The ten best works will be exhibited until the 8th of October.
Armalgarve says that «the concept of the exhibition aims to bring people closer to visual art», and the photographs will be exhibited at Rua Vasco da Gama, in Quarteira. The winner will be awarded 100 euros and there will also be prizes for the second and third place.
On the 30th, the opening lunch of the Octopus Week will take place, at 12:30 pm, in the canteen of Escola Secundária Dra Laura Ayres. At this lunch, «the population was invited to participate and will cook for the partner entities of the event, who will choose the most appetizing recipe».
This will also be the second edition of the Recipe Contest, whose winner will be awarded a monetary prize of 150 euros.
The full presentation of the event will be made at this lunch, with the presence of Desidério Silva, president of the Algarve Tourism Region, Teresa Coelho, chairman of the Board of Directors of Docapesca, Fátima Catarina, chairman of the Board of Inframoura, confirmed. Telmo Pinto, president of the Parish of Quarteira, Florbela Soares, of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere and João Guerreiro, of the AEQV.
During Octopus Week, there will also be two show-cooking, with the participation of chefs from the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School.
On the 5th of October, at 9:30 am, in front of the Quarteira market, chef José Domingos will be cooking live, and, in parallel, there will be an awareness campaign on the consumption of octopus, in partnership with Docapesca.
On the 7th, Saturday, whoever takes charge of the show-cooking is the chef Abílio Guerreiro, but this time in Vilamoura, at 10:00 am. At this moment, Casa Santa Vitória wines, from the Vila Galé group, will also be being tasted.
On the cultural side of the Octopus Week, there are two shows to be highlighted: on Friday, the 6th, the Rancho Infantil-Juvenil de Loulé invades the Vilamoura Marina Sidewalk, from 21 pm, for a performance where they will go demonstrate popular traditions and customs through dance and music, by the youngest. On the following day, October 00th, the older ones take the stage, in Quarteira, on Rua Vasco da Gama. The Academic Tuna of Academia do Saber will give music to the population, from 7 pm onwards.
Armalgarve explains that «the Octopus Week aims to promote the gastronomic heritage of the region, contribute to the local economy by stimulating consumption and publicizing projects that promote the fishing sector, of the organizing entities and partner entities».
The 2017 edition of Octopus Week has the collaboration of the Algarve Tourism Region, Loulé City Council, Quarteira Parish Council, IPMA, Docapesca, ESLA, Inframoura, Vilamoura World and Jornal Barlavento.
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