The Olive Growers Association Boka organized in Radanovići a village competition in preparing and presenting traditional dishes of Boka called “Every Village Has Its Own Dish”.
This event represents the final activity of the project of the same name implemented by the Olive Growers Association Boka as a subgrant of the Network for Rural Development of Montenegro, with financial support from the European Union. The aim of the project is to contribute to the development of rural areas and sustainable agriculture through the promotion of traditional Boka cuisine and local agricultural products.
The Executive Director of the Association, Vesna Đukić, said that the project lasted nine months and included field research and the collection of recipes for traditional dishes from numerous villages in the Boka region.
“Within the project we collected recipes for traditional dishes from Boka and the surrounding areas, and we are grateful to all the housewives from Grbalj, Paštrovići, Kavč, Radovići and other places who shared their recipes with us and showed us how these dishes are prepared. Our goal is to promote the village and domestic products, which are the foundation of the nation’s health,” Đukić said.
The event was opened by the President of the Association, Dr Ivan Ilić, who emphasized that the aim of the event is the affirmation of local gastronomy as an important segment of the tourist offer.
“We have an exceptionally rich gastronomic tradition that must become more accessible and recognizable, both to us and to our guests. We are witnessing the opening of more and more restaurants, but their offer is often uniform and stereotypical, while traditional dishes can rarely be found. Our goal is the affirmation of villages and encouragement for young people to recognize opportunities in opening farms that will offer authentic products of our region,” Dr Ilić said.
He thanked the members of the expert jury and the participants, and expressed hope that the event will encourage the organization of similar events in the future.
In the musical part of the program, the Singing Society Grbalj performed, as well as the folklore section of the Primary School “Mirko Srzentić” from Petrovac.
After the cultural and artistic program, a tasting of the prepared dishes followed, while the expert jury worked in the following composition: Vlasta Mandić, architect and author of the recipe book “Bokeška kužina”, Ivo Popović, restaurateur, and Bogdan Krsmanović, professor of culinary arts at the Faculty of Hospitality.
According to the jury’s decision, first place was won by the group from Nalježići. Second place was shared by the guests from Paštrovići and the students of the secondary school “Danilo Kiš” from Budva, while third place was shared by representatives of Višnjeva–Kovači and SNS Glavatičići.
The competition “Every Village Has Its Own Dish” once again showed the richness and diversity of cuisine, as well as the importance of preserving tradition and connecting villages, agriculture and tourism.
Source: radiokotor.info