Eight of the 22 regional applications for the election of the “Seven Gastronomic Wonders of Portugal” were selected for the next phase of the context on Thursday, being included in the group of the 70 selected finalists.

The selected regional dishes are the following: “Sopas do Espírito Santo” (Holy Spirit Soups) in the Soup category; Roasted Octopus in the Fish category; Cozido das Caldeiras” (meat stew cooked in hot springs) and “Alcatra” (pot roast) in the Meat category; Grilled Limpets, Boiled Barnacles and Boiled Slipper Lobster with Green Sauce (onion and parsley sauce) in the Seafood category; and Pineapple in the Dessert category. 

It should be noted that all regional applications submitted in the Seafood category of were selected for the next phase of the election of the “Seven Gastronomic Wonders of Portugal.”

The Azorean applications for this contest are coordinated by the Azores Gastronomic Brotherhood, counting upon the support on the Government’s support, through the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, whether in the submission for the contest or in the future organisation of various initiatives to promote eventual finalists.
 
For the Regional Director for Tourism, Miguel Cymbron, the selection of eight regional applications demonstrates “that the Gastronomy of the Azores has all the necessary conditions to assert itself at a national level, competing on equal footing with the products from the remaining regions of Portugal.”

Moreover, this initiative is “very useful as this event may significantly contribute to the assertion of the tourism sector in the Azores, similar to what happened last year with the initiative “Seven Wonders of Portugal.”

“On the other hand, gastronomy is one of the most significant manifestations of the local culture, because it reflects the habits and traditions of a people through the use of ingredients, the way how they are prepared and presented,” concluded the Regional Director.