The production "went well", the potato, of the Lyra variety, "has quality" and, therefore, expectations can only be "high" for another edition of the Sweet Potato Festival that starts this Friday. 29 November, at the Espaço Multiusos in Aljezur.
O Sul Informação spoke with Manuel Marreiros, president of the Sweet Potato Producers Association of Aljezur, before this one of the biggest gastronomic events in the Algarve.
This year, one of the novelties is the introduction "of a new packaging, cardboard, prettier and with a different presentation, to sell sweet potatoes," he explained.
In addition, this delicacy will be joined by another with tradition in Aljezur. «We are going to sell peanuts, the traditional alcagoitas, at the fair. Our idea is to start more timidly, but then, in the future, extend to another dimension», he said.
This is a product that, despite having lost some economic relevance, has a long history in the municipality.
“In the 80s, farmers in the municipality of Aljezur made a lot of money with peanuts, but it was a product that ended up being subject to great competition. Farmers are producing more and more and we want to encourage this», considered Manuel Marreiros to our newspaper.
But, for this event, which lasts until Sunday, December 1st, the queen will continue to be the sweet potato of the Lyra variety, holder of the Protected Geographical Identification seal. At the Festival, 20 producers will be present, three more than last year.
The gastronomic offer will include restaurants, taverns, street food and a snack area, in the outdoor tent, which will approach Aljezur's sweet potato in a more relaxed and light way. There will also be traditional products and handicrafts, totaling around 100 exhibitors.
The sweets will be present, with a varied pastry based on Aljezur's sweet potato, chocolates, liqueurs, ice cream and even a beer. All with the Aljezurense delicacy as a base.
In terms of sales, Manuel Marreiros estimates that it is around «21 or 22 tons» of sweet potatoes, during the three festivals, a number «which has stabilized in recent years».
As for the production, it went well. “Sweet potatoes are not afraid of drought, as long as there is minimal water for irrigation. When it rains a lot, at harvest time, sometimes we run the risk of losing quality, but that didn't happen this year,” he explained to our newspaper.
Therefore, all the ingredients for a successful festival are gathered. “We have high expectations, of course. This event started a few years ago, in a timid way, but it has evolved over the years. We feel that farmers are also increasingly taking up sweet potato production,” he added.
For consumers, demand has also been “increasing”, in part due to the nutritional benefits that sweetpotato is known to have. “Production is not as big as we liked for the level of demand. We would like to have a stronger offer», he considered.
For the Municipality, this is an event “of the greatest importance”, as it has already established itself “as a major gastronomic festival at national level”.
The event is open from 12:00 to 00:00 on Friday and Saturday and from 12:00 to 22:00 on Sunday. Entrance and parking are free.
In parallel, during the Sweet Potato Festival, there will be another show of “Lavrar o Mar”, as is already tradition. will be the culinary theater “O Presente de César”, in which there will be cod and also…sweet potatoes.
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