The Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, IP (CCDR Algarve) promoted, on December 9th, at the David Assoreira Auditorium, the launch of the book “A vision of the Mediterranean Diet – All of the (el) Algarve”, a work dedicated to the appreciation of the region’s cultural and gastronomic heritage.
The session took place in a dynamic and participatory environment and brought together a large audience interested in the theme of the Mediterranean Diet. The event was attended by several chefs and the work’s editors, who shared episodes of the creative process and described the Algarve through the senses, evoking the Mediterranean Diet as a way of life associated with well-being, in reference to the concept “how to eat and stay well”, coined by Ancel Keys in 1975.
A work that brings together territory, knowledge and identity
The publication aims to celebrate the cultural, gastronomic, natural and identity richness of the Algarve, bringing together 16 chefs from the 16 municipalities in the region. In the introductory text of the work, the president of CCDR Algarve, José Apolinário, emphasizes that it is a territory where “so much geography, so much gastronomy, so much history to tell” coexist. It is in this context that the collection was developed, built with a deep appreciation for Algarve gastronomy and its endogenous products, which give the territory its uniqueness.
Also present at the session, the president of the Algarve Regional Tourism Authority (RTA), André Gomes, highlighted that “this publication is more than a recipe book; it is an invitation to conviviality, an escape from everyday stress”.
The person responsible also highlighted that the work covers the culinary diversity of the 16 Algarve municipalities, affirming the Mediterranean Diet as a differentiating and sustainable element of the regional tourist offer. “Each page reveals unique landscapes, stories and, above all, flavors, reflecting the richness of endogenous products and the know-how of chefs who honor our traditions. It is an invitation to dive into this sensorial journey and discover the true spirit of the Mediterranean Algarve”, he added.
In turn, Ana Paula Martins, president of the Municipality of Tavira, highlighted that “this work celebrates the cultural richness of a region where the Mediterranean lifestyle is manifested in every daily gesture”, from the careful choice of local products to the sharing rituals at the table. For the mayor, “each Algarve municipality preserves ancestral techniques, endogenous products and know-how that reflect not only a diverse gastronomic identity, but a unique way of inhabiting the Mediterranean world”.
The work brings together testimonies, photographs and recipes from each municipality
The work was conceived by João Pinto Sousa and edited by A Bela e o Monstro / Rapsódia Final, Lda., with editorial coordination by Paulo Amado (Edições do Gosto). It brings together testimonials, photographs, recipes and culinary techniques representative of each municipality, highlighting 16 basic products associated with 16 recipes created by guest chefs.
This edition is the result of the work developed within the scope of the Alentejo–Algarve–Andalusia Euroregion, currently chaired by CCDR Algarve, and was carried out in collaboration with Turismo do Algarve and the Municipality of Tavira. The publication is part of the activities of the Regional Planning and Development Unit and included the involvement of the Board of Directors, the Regional Council and the Regional Commission for the Mediterranean Diet.
Funded by the INTERREG POCTEP 2021-2027 Program, the work is also part of the celebrations of the 12th anniversary of the inscription of the Mediterranean Diet on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, celebrated on December 4th.
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