Local food lovers have three big treats coming up
Greek food is taking center stage at a number of unlikely locations around Athens this month. Over 500 Greek producers, prominent chefs, restaurateurs, hotel owners, wine professionals and food specialists are participating in three large-scale gastronomy festivals taking place at the Technopolis cultural complex in Gazi, Stadio Irinis kai Filias (Peace and Friendship Stadium) in Neo Faliro and the Benaki Museum’s Pireos Street annex.
The past few years have seen local foodies moving away from international trends and focusing more on Greek flavors, products and small producers. Is this a form of roots revival, a patriotic effort to support local producers, a healthy rethink of traditional dishes, or even a kind of introversion during this difficult period? Possibly a combination of all of the above, but the fact that it leads to the development of local culinary culture is certainly a key positive point.
Following four highly successful events, “Greece, Celebration, Flavors” a festival organized by Athens city guide Athinorama and its food-focused sibling Athinorama Umami, has become quite an institution. Featuring 130 Greek producers, this year’s event starts today and runs through Sunday at Technopolis. The parade of Greek products will be complemented by a number of culinary and cultural events, concerts and visual art activities. During the course of the festival, the products on display will also be on sale, allowing visitors to sample the goods at their own leisure.
On the same days, the Peace and Friendship Stadium turns into a culinary arena and open-air market. The first edition of the Athens Food Festival will host over 200 small producers from around Greece presenting more than 500 types of traditional local products, recipes and culinary secrets from across the country, while noted Greek chefs and food specialists will also take part in presentations.
The festival’s program is based on four core themes: culinary presentations, product display, tastings and conferences. The event’s agenda includes an exhibition of high-quality products from small Greek producers, such as cheese, wine, honey and flour, as well as workshops and demonstrations of production methods used in rural parts of the country. A traditional olive press – billed as the largest ever to be erected at a trade show – will be used for the in situ production of virgin olive oil from a selection of Greek varieties, including the Koroneiki, Manaki and Ladoelia, among others.
The event also features presentations and round-table discussions on strategies regarding culinary tourism, the role of local communities in the development of the country’s tourism industry, and gastronomy as a tool for economic growth as well as the promotion of local businesses.
The Athens Food Festival is also hosting a conference on agricultural entrepreneurship, focusing on the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy, product certification, local nutritional traditions and Greek culinary branding, among others.
Gastronomy Days returns to the Benaki Museum’s Pireos Street annex on May 22, 23 and 24.
The third edition of the event aims to give visitors a more complete experience through the presentation of a broad range of sectors, ranging from gastronomy and business to culture.
Each year organizers announce a special gastronomic destination, offering the honored region the opportunity for promotion through a number of events during the festival.
A comprehensive program for the promotion of the Peloponnese’s fascinating ecosystem will be showcased in association with regional authorities and with the participation of dozens of professionals and institutions.
One of the event’s highlights is the 2nd Athens International Culinary Film Festival, featuring a large number of animation, documentary and feature films exploring flavors, gastronomy and customs.
