EU RICE FESTIVAL, 28-29/09/24
We choose European rice for a sustainable environment.
With great success, the EU RICE Festival was held for the fourth consecutive year on September 28 and 29 at Pier A of the Thessaloniki Port.
The EU RICE Festival (Festival of Sustainable European Rice Cultivation) was organized as part of the European program EU RICE, implemented by the Agricultural Cooperative Partnership of Thessaloniki (EASTH) and the Consejo Regulador de la DOP Arroz de Valencia (CRAV). The program aims to raise awareness and inform consumers that rice produced in Europe is a sustainable and safe product, cultivated in accordance with the strict requirements of the European Union. The program’s executive agency is NOVACERT.
Extensive and significant information was provided by representatives of EASTH and agricultural cooperatives about the dynamic and sustainable aspects of rice cultivation in the region, the safety of the agricultural product grown in Greece and Europe, and the program’s strategy to promote the product to consumers and professionals. Additionally, the initiative seeks to establish stuffed vegetables (gemista) as Greece’s national rice dish.
Despite the festival ending earlier than scheduled on Sunday afternoon for safety reasons due to strong winds in the area, attendance and public participation in the activities were warm and impressive.
The event’s program included live cooking demonstrations, naturally featuring rice, by chefs from renowned hotels and restaurants in the city, as well as professors and students from culinary schools. The demonstrations also featured Greece’s Rice Ambassador for the program, Dina Nikolaou. The dishes presented at this year’s EU RICE FESTIVAL were:
- Tomato rice with foam, basil oil & charred eel by the Experimental S.A.E.K. of Tourism of Macedonia, Sofia Teftsi and Vasiliki Staikou
- Pilaf with chicken by Rice Ambassador Dina Nikolaou
- Truffle and mushroom risotto by Sotiris Evangelou (MAKEDONIA PALACE)
- White chocolate rice panna cotta by Giorgos Sakolevas (Confectioners’ Guild of Thessaloniki)
- Spinach fritters by Kostas “Elvis” Markou (Academy)
- Pilaf with beet textures, blue cheese, and pear by Dimitris Kotsivos (Marea Sea Spirit)
- Mushroom pilaf by Rice Ambassador Dina Nikolaou
- Spinach rice with asparagus, shrimp & ginger beer sauce by Apostolos Altanis (HYATT REGENCY THESSALONIKI)
- Risotto with fish soup broth & fresh sea bream by Dimitris Pamporis (EKIES ALL SENSES RESORT)
- Stuffed vine leaf tempura with buttermilk sauce & mint oil by Athanasios Kalfas (ELECTRA PALACE THESSALONIKI)
- Lettuce dolma with mussel pilaf and beurre blanc sauce by Grigoris Katsanidis (Trizoni Exclusive)
(Unfortunately, the last four dishes could not be tasted due to the unforeseen early closure.)
This year’s EU RICE FESTIVAL was held alongside the 1st Rice Festival, an event organized by the Association of Rice Millers of Greece (SOE) with the contribution and under the auspices of the Municipality of Delta.
In an adjacent area, 10 award-winning restaurants from the city set up their kitchens at the Port, creating unique rice-based dishes for visitors to purchase and enjoy. The event program also featured talks by academics, representatives of organizations, and nutritionists on the topic of rice.
For younger visitors, a specially designed play area offered rice-themed games, while musical performances, traditional dances, and songs by cultural associations from the Municipality of Delta enriched the festival experience.
The official opening of the festival was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Deputy Ministers of Rural Development Dionysis Stamenitis and Health Dimitris Vartzopoulos, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food (YPAAAT) Giorgos Stratakos, Thessaloniki MPs Stavros Kalafatis, Theodoros Karaoglou, and Fanis Papas, Deputy Regional Governor for Development and Environment Kostas Gioutikas, Deputy Regional Governor for Agricultural Economy Giorgos Kefalas, Mayor of the Municipality of Delta Gerakina Bisbina, Secretary General of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBETH) Panagiotis Menexopoulos, SOE President Georgia Kostinaki, EDORREL President Yiannis Arnaoutelis, EASTH President Christos Tsihitas, EASTH General Director Konstantinos Giannopoulos, EDORREL and First Agricultural Cooperative of Halastra President Christos Gatzaras, and Second Agricultural Cooperative of Halastra President Vasilis Koukourikis. Additionally, Reverend Fathers Dionysios, representing the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Philotheos, and Iakovos of the Metropolis of Veria, Naoussa, and Kampania also honored the event with their presence.
The festival was hosted once again by the well-known and highly beloved presenter Kostis Zafeirakis, who brought his own vibrant touch to the event.
For more information about the EU RICE program, visit the program’s website:
Website: https://sustainablerice.eu/en/home/
And follow the social media pages:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sustainablerice.eu/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eu_sustainable_rice/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59BTrs-47SS3aIzTnRF9Fw?view_as=subscriber
The program’s executive agency is Novacert (www.novacert.gr), the largest consultancy specializing in the agri-environmental sector and the food industry. The organization of events in Greece is managed by Chef Stories, a marketing and gastronomy consultancy and organizer of gastronomic events (www.chefstories.gr).