The president of the Provincial Council, Francisco Requejo, highlighted the presence of more than 1,200 cheeses from around the world and thanked the union of all sectors, companies, organizations and institutions to make this international fair a reality.
The Parador Nacional hosts the first tasting of the Cheese-Pún Festival, with tapas from the best chefs in the province made with products from Alimentos de Zamora and paired with wines from the D.O. Toro, Arribes, Tierra del Vino and Valles de Benavente.
Requejo highlights the union of all sectors, entities and institutions and the involvement of the entire technical team and the city to make the fair a reality.
The president of the Provincial Council, Francisco Requejo, inaugurated this afternoon the International Cheese Fair Fromago, the great agri-food project promoted by the provincial institution with the collaboration of numerous entities and companies in the province, Zamora City Council, Junta de Castilla y León and Caja Rural.
The world’s largest urban trade fair
In a tent full of institutional representatives, civil and military authorities, representatives of different quality marches of Castilla y León, producers, livestock associations and cooperatives, Francisco Requejo said that the launch of Fromago is “one of the most beautiful days of my career, the result of the union, hard work and enthusiasm of an entire province in a project”.
The president of the Provincial Council has indicated that Fromago is the largest urban space fair in the worldwith its 2.5 kilometers of city tour, and has highlighted the more than 1,200 cheeses from around the world or their unique culinary experiences, in addition to the presentation of various products, the Fromeliers contest and the awarding of the Cincho Awards, one of the most prestigious in the country.
Requejo looked back to the time when Fromago was just a Zamora10 project that they decided to make a reality and thanked all the institutions and entities, as well as the team and the people of Zamora for their collaboration and involvement. The president referred to the “hundreds of kilometers traveled with Agriculture and Economic Development deputies for the promotion of the fair” and has highlighted the work of the technicians of the Provincial Council, Junta de Castilla y León, City Council, Caja Rural, School of Dairy Industries, Ifeza, Fundos, Cobadú, Gaza, Chamber of Commerce, Azeco and Azehos. He underlined the union between all sectors to make this fair a reality, a challenge taken on “with absolute professionalism”.
He recalled that the entrepreneurs of the sector “have been putting the product and quality for a long time. We have 34 cheese dairies out of 208 in Castilla y León. We are the first province in terms of sheep, and transforming the product and marketing it has the capacity to create jobs, without forgetting that the Zamorano Cheese DO was the first in Castilla y León”.
His last words were for the terrible fire in the Sierra de la Culebra and the difficult times in the area. “We know that all the help that can be provided is always going to be little, but we also want to do it from Fromago. We have a province full of opportunities, we need to fix population, retain young talent and help entrepreneurs”.
Regarding the great expectations generated by the fair, Requejo ended by remarking that “we have all won, because we have placed Zamora in the focus of international cheese, which is identified with cheese. Zamora is now the world’s cheese epicenter. We are not more than anyone else, but we are not less than anyone else”.
International markets
For his part, veteran journalist Javier Pérez Andrés, master of ceremonies, recalled that “Zamora was cheese, sheep, milk, it was many things. It made me angry that Zamora did not taste like cheese despite being the first DO”.
“Fromago – he stressed – is not just another fair, because it has managed to involve agricultural associations, large cooperatives, major cheesemakers of this province, or the cross-border presence with delegations from Castelo Branco, Bragança, Miranda. I see mayors from all over the province, quality food from Castilla y León, entities, hoteliers…I see everyone”. As President Requejo has already indicated, this union is key to move forward with major projects. Perez Andres has missed in the inauguration the president of the Junta de Castilla y Leon and its Minister of Agriculture, although in the act has been present the deputy minister ‘”who represents very well the Board”.
The great journalist ended his speech with a commitment to this model: “These projects are what we have to do so that this land does not disappear: to transform its excellent raw materials and go out to national and international markets”.
Cheese-Pún Festival
Also this morning the Cheese-Pún Festival kicked off with its children’s workshops and the first tasting at the Parador de Zamora, which has served as a culmination of the opening ceremony and to promote quality products attached to Alimentos de Zamora.
The cooks Gloria Martín, Mónica Fernández Cifuentes, José Antonio Gonzalez, Adrián Asensio and Carlos Onrrubias have created a spectacular menu with products of this quality seal of quality and of the land such as Aliste beef, Zamorano chorizo, Fuentesaúco chickpeas, boletus, PGI lamb, roe deer, Benavente peppers or traditional Zamorano flour, paired with different wines of the region. D.O Toro, D.O Arribes, D.O Tierra del Vino and DOP Valles de Benavente.
Also in the Park of San Martin have begun gastronomic activities and promotion of lamb, while the Aula de Folklore La Morana enlivened the streets with traditional dances of the province of Zamora.
