L'Empordà Cuina i Salut fills Torroella in its return to normality after the pandemic

The Empordà Food and Health Fair filled Torroella de Montgrí with visitors yesterday in the return to normality after the pandemic of an event that has had fifteen activities, among which the show cookings of fresh fish and cuttlefish, the talk by ultra-distance runner Núria Picas and the market for artisanal and local products stood out.

The weather forecast did not dampen the mood of a fair that started on Friday and was able to hold its entire program as normal and with a large crowd in the city’s most central streets. This was the first edition without any restrictions for health reasons since the start of the Covid19 pandemic.

Showcookings, the highlight of the fair

As has been customary in recent editions, the showcookings were the highlights of Saturday’s day. In the morning, the restaurants of the restaurant group that participates in the Gastronomic Days of Clova, Sepia and Apple , one of the gastronomic campaigns that takes place in the municipality, tested the versatility and pairing of these two ingredients that are so present in the gastronomy of Torroella. With a relaxed and friendly tone, the actor Marc Martínez led a master class by the restaurateur Toni Cabrera of the Alba Restaurant , who cooked a rice dish of Pork Feet with Sepia and brunyols. With a multitude of winks to the audience, the harmony between actor and restaurateur made saliva come to a square in the Vila who carefully followed the chef’s explanations and were able to taste some. In the afternoon the showcooking was a Master Fish masterclass with the participation of the Fishermen’s Guilds of Palamós and l’Estartit and also presented by Marc Martínez. As in the morning, there were no shortage of tastings or tips for cooking fresh fish, nor was there a lack of dissemination of this product, one of the objectives pursued by the project. This aims to turn people into prescribers of local fish species and traditional seafood cuisine.

Handicraft market and street entertainment

The local craft and food market and the Mercat Món Empordà were also lively. Healthy, zero-emission products filled the town centre, especially in the morning, when the weather was mild. The markets were livened up with street entertainment from the Traüt company both in the morning and in the afternoon and coincided with workshops on wild plants, which are characteristic of the Fair. Emporarom offered a wild plant workshop on Friday and an infusion workshop and a condiment plant workshop on Saturday.

Núria Picas transmits passion for sports

One of the highlights of the Fair was the talk that ultra-distance runner Núria Picas gave in a packed auditorium at the Museum of the Mediterranean. The ultra-distance runner addressed the great challenges she has faced in recent years and how to overcome failures. Picas, world champion in ultra-trails, reflected on the world of sport, passion and dreams and remembered the athlete Maria Garcia who passed away a few days ago. The ultra-distance runner took a tour of her career with passion and instilled optimism, resilience and confidence.

Knowledge of the surrounding fauna

The Fair kicked off on Friday afternoon with a snack of local products in the Plaça de la Vila that went hand in hand with a family performance by Jaume Ibars under the eloquent title ‘Let the party begin’. On the same day, the Montgrí bats were the protagonists with a workshop with family dynamics and games and a route to learn about this species.