The “Choose Our Food” project, from the Odian association, ends on 31 January and the balance “is positive”. After these two years, there is a better relationship between thes producers from Baixo Guadiana (Alcoutim, Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António) and hotels and restaurants.
To mark the end of this “Choose Our Food”, there is nothing better than a dinner, prepared by chef Américo António, entirely with products from Baixo Guadiana, and which brought the producers together at the table.
Homemade Odeleite bread, carob butter, goat cheese, honey, mackerel fillets, smoked and braised tuna or goat were some of the (many) delicacies served on Sunday, January 21, at the “O Infante” restaurant in Altura (Castro Marim).
Valter Matias, from Odiana, was in charge of the project throughout these two years. “There was a huge gap between producers and hotels and restaurants. We managed to create synergies, make this approach, and, therefore, the balance is good», he said, to Sul Informação.
But it was not always so. “In the beginning, the producers were a bit reticent. It was difficult to pull them out, but as time went on they got involved. In fact: they realized that this was an asset», said Valter Matias.
In total, “Choose Our Food”, which was funded by CRESC Algarve 2020, brought together 32 producers of honey, cheese, sweets, fruits, salt and aromatic herbs. At the beginning of all, “a study of how the local productive sector was doing” was carried out.
“We analyzed the difficulties and carried out a survey with the hotels and restaurants to find out if they were aware of the products”, explained Valter Matias.
Afterwards, to promote the best of the Baixo Guadiana, tastings were held at Municipal Markets and breakfast at Hotel Praia Verde.
In addition to this, Odiana also made a promotional video and there is still news in the pipeline. By the end of this month of January, «we are going to launch a tour of local products and launch an application, to smartphone, with geo-referencing of producers», added Valter Matias.
The mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, Conceição Cabrita is also, since 2 January, the new president of the Odiana association and did not miss this closing dinner of “Choose Our Food”. “It's good to start with this job done. The Baixo Guadiana is in fashion and we have to defend it», he said, in statements, to the Sul Informação.
All these products are also tourism. "Increasingly, what we sell is tourism: but it has to be something different and differentiating", he added.
By the way, the balance of the project, in terms of tourism, is also good. «The tourist is looking for experiences and savoring what is from the region. Quality is above all and there are those who pay to have that quality», explained Valter Matias to our newspaper.
For all these reasons, Conceição Cabrita and Valter Matias share the same opinion: “Choose Our Food” is to continue. “We are waiting for new applications for community funds to continue the project. There is already work here that cannot stop», concluded the person in charge.
Proof of this is the fact that, at the end of this dinner, a letter of intent was signed, with the seal of 30 entities and companies.
The objective is to help promote agri-food products associated with that territory of the Lower Guadiana, pledging to reinforce synergies between the agro-food and tourism sectors.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação and Ricardo Bernardo | Odian Association
Dinner menu:
– Mackerel fillets and smoked tuna (Loja do Mar, in Vila Real de Santo António)
– Chorizo and ham, produced in Zambujal (Alcoutim)
– Homemade Odeleite bread, goat cheese (ANCCRAL – Algarvian Goat Breeders Association), honey (various producers) and carob butter (Quinta da Fornalha, in Castro Marim)
– Florentine sea bass bundle enriched with wild shrimp and warm cold green (Atlantik Fish).
– Traditional Algarvian kid (ANCCRAL) roasted in a wood oven, accompanied by maranho rice flavored with mint, carqueja flower, and crispy tile in harmony with Algarve citrus fruit.
– Almond, orange and carob pies and fig, chocolate and almond truffles.
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