Rui André, mayor of Monchique, was enthroned yesterday as Confrere of Honor by the Confraternity of Gastronomos do Algarve during the European Congress of Wine and Gastronomic Confraternity, which is taking place in Albufeira this weekend.
At the same ceremony they were awarded the same title "personalities from various countries in Europe"
The European Congress of Wine and Gastronomic Confraternities is promoted by the CEUCO – European Council of Confraternities and is bringing together 207 confraternities from eight countries, in a total of 639 confreres. The objective is to promote the cuisine and products of each region.
“This is an initiative that values the territory, as the confraternities are a good way to develop and promote the territories. The Algarve is already considered the best gastronomic destination in Europe and the municipality of Monchique has a range of products and a very peculiar gastronomy, which attracts thousands of tourists to the mountains. Whether in the various events held throughout the year, or in the various high-quality restaurants that exist here, you can enjoy the best delicacies of a rural world that has in this tourist product one of its biggest economic levers», considered Rui André, in statements to Sul Informação.
The Monchiquense mayor stressed that «gastronomy is much more than the simple gesture of eating, as it contains within itself a set of values and cultural knowledge that speak volumes about the history of each place or region».
This leads to gastronomic tourism being «responsible for a large part of the tourists who come to our country, particularly in the interior areas, in search of authenticity and differentiating and quality products that we have to offer».
Rui André took the opportunity to raise an alert, at a time when "there is so much talk about the eating habits of the Portuguese", calling for "a thorough clarification and not the easy temptation to fall into extremist demagogues, mainly from opinion and knowledge leaders".
«We may be heading towards a destination in which some territories that are already facing the departure of people, may also face a scenario of physical desertification. Climate change, but also the absence of animals, represent a challenge to everyone's opinion, in particular on the political environment that should reinforce the important role that animals play in the national territory, either through their contribution to environmental rebalancing or for its influence on soil fertility», considered the mayor of Monchique.
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