Traditional Ionian flavours at the Food and Wine Festival
Corfu Food & Wine Festival
29 Sep 2021
/ 10:43
CORFU. Locals and visitors are enjoying the 3rd Corfu Food and Wine Festival.
Visitors to the People's Garden have been having the opportunity to enjoy the traditional flavours of the Ionian Islands. For the first time, 30 producers from all the islands are presenting their unique, quality products to locals and visitors at this culinary festival.
"We know the oil and the wine and we have tasted traditional food such as pastitsada and we like it a lot. The oil is exceptional," Magdalena from Poland, who is on holiday in Corfu for the first time, tells us. She was at the People's Garden yesterday for the presentation of Ionian Islands Cuisine by the Regional Agrifood Partnership at the 3rd Corfu Food and Wine Festival. She enjoyed seeing the products from each island and was impressed by the quality and taste.
Important event
The festival, which ends on 2 October, is possibly one of the most important events promoting the "golden" products of the Ionian Islands and giving the opportunity to a large number of people to recognise Corfu, Lefkada, Cephalonia and Zakynthos as culinary as well as tourist destinations.
The top products are koum kouat and butter from Corfu, lentils from Eglouvis Lefkada, raisins and cheese products from Zakynthos and wine and oil from Cephalonia.
"It is a very important event, perhaps one of the most important of the year," Corfu Chefs Club President Spyros Voulismas told Enimerosi. "It helps tourism and exports are gradually increasing, especially oil. We aim to improve the quality of Corfu products, whether it be tourism, cuisine or primary produce.
He said that although older visitors (30% of visitors are over 20) know the island's food and cuisine, efforts are being made to acquaint younger visitors with traditional Corfu dishes - bourdeto, 'bianco', pastitsio, sofrito, pastitsada.
"Everyone who leaves their country to visit another wants to try the dishes and products of the destination," added Mr. Voulismas. "There has been a good response from visitors here."
According to Zakynthos Chamber of Commerce advisor Iakovos Kontaratos, the festival is, for the first time, a great opportunity for the island's producers to present selected traditional products from Zakynthos. Raisins, mantolato, pastelli, oil and wine.
"We are making great efforts to promote our high-quality local products in markets outside Zakynthos," he said, "as well as their use in usinesses such as hotels and restaurants. It requires a lot of steady work. The quality of the products is so good, however, and there has been a very good response."
With regard to young people becoming involved in the agricultural sector, Mr. Kontaratos said that a lot of them choose to follow in the footsteps of their parents in the primary sector, especially in the existing family businesses and the situation with the pandemic acted as a stimulus for many of them to become involved in the sector.
"There is not a great interest but, nevertheless, because there are businesses that have been established for years, there is a continuation by young people which gives us hope," he said. "There are, of course, some young people who have started to get involved due to the pandemic and have decided to continue."
"We know the oil and the wine and we have tasted traditional food such as pastitsada and we like it a lot. The oil is exceptional," Magdalena from Poland, who is on holiday in Corfu for the first time, tells us. She was at the People's Garden yesterday for the presentation of Ionian Islands Cuisine by the Regional Agrifood Partnership at the 3rd Corfu Food and Wine Festival. She enjoyed seeing the products from each island and was impressed by the quality and taste.
Important event
The festival, which ends on 2 October, is possibly one of the most important events promoting the "golden" products of the Ionian Islands and giving the opportunity to a large number of people to recognise Corfu, Lefkada, Cephalonia and Zakynthos as culinary as well as tourist destinations.
The top products are koum kouat and butter from Corfu, lentils from Eglouvis Lefkada, raisins and cheese products from Zakynthos and wine and oil from Cephalonia.
"It is a very important event, perhaps one of the most important of the year," Corfu Chefs Club President Spyros Voulismas told Enimerosi. "It helps tourism and exports are gradually increasing, especially oil. We aim to improve the quality of Corfu products, whether it be tourism, cuisine or primary produce.He said that although older visitors (30% of visitors are over 20) know the island's food and cuisine, efforts are being made to acquaint younger visitors with traditional Corfu dishes - bourdeto, 'bianco', pastitsio, sofrito, pastitsada.
"Everyone who leaves their country to visit another wants to try the dishes and products of the destination," added Mr. Voulismas. "There has been a good response from visitors here."
According to Zakynthos Chamber of Commerce advisor Iakovos Kontaratos, the festival is, for the first time, a great opportunity for the island's producers to present selected traditional products from Zakynthos. Raisins, mantolato, pastelli, oil and wine.
"We are making great efforts to promote our high-quality local products in markets outside Zakynthos," he said, "as well as their use in usinesses such as hotels and restaurants. It requires a lot of steady work. The quality of the products is so good, however, and there has been a very good response."
With regard to young people becoming involved in the agricultural sector, Mr. Kontaratos said that a lot of them choose to follow in the footsteps of their parents in the primary sector, especially in the existing family businesses and the situation with the pandemic acted as a stimulus for many of them to become involved in the sector.
"There is not a great interest but, nevertheless, because there are businesses that have been established for years, there is a continuation by young people which gives us hope," he said. "There are, of course, some young people who have started to get involved due to the pandemic and have decided to continue."
