2017 program

As part of the preparations for the 1st Lesvos Food Fest, we have included a range of activities that highlights our local products, raw materials and Lesvian culinary culture, orienting their flavors and presentation into a blend of traditional and modern models.

The various promotional events promoting our island’s products include:

1st Day // 14-7-2017

On the first day of the festival, ατ 18.30, Molyvos and its inhabitants will open their well-tended courtyards and urge visitors to come walk along the cobble-stoned streets with the neighborhood women as their guides. Visitors, to the accompaniment of music, will then continue on to the open square of the Municipal Gallery in the central Agora (market place), where special local delicacies and hor d’oeuvres will be served to them by their hosts-the island’s very own producers.

Workshops in the courtyards of Molyvos

Local women in private or public courtyards will be setting up various workshops creating traditional foods based on authentic local materials. They will also be enticing visitors to come and participate in the various cooking activities. The materials of doughs and various mixed blends will be made directly in front of the visitors, while explaining and presenting the different phases of the production process of each traditional recipe.

This year we will be presenting “Hahles”, “Yufkades”, “Amygkalota” (Marzipan sweets) and “Manestraki” in the courtyards of Molvos. We aim to provide a “Neighbourhood experience” as the living core of the village neighborhoods, the local women, come together on the occasion of presenting the local recipes as well as creating traditional dishes and first materials used in their daily cooking or for special social occasions.

Lesvos Fingerfood

In our effort to differentiate from the traditional style of exhibiting still-life food compositions, we will be making suggestions and creating compositions of fingerfoods, bite-sized morsels, and presenting ideas on how to serve various dishes. The Mediterranean meze & tapas trend is still in the spotlight and calls for the raw materials to be dynamically combined with traditional utensils. The products which will be used are:

  • Olives and olive products
  • Olive Oil
  • Bakery products
  • Salted Goods
  • Dairy products
  • Pastas
  • Frumenty (Trahanas)
  • Pulses
  • Agricultural products
  • Sweets – Jams
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Soft drinks
  • Presentation of Clay Utensils
  • Olive wood pots

The final recipes and food combinations will be created as a result of suggestions made by the collaborating chefs, the contributing partners and the producers themselves. The presentations will take place in the courtyard of the Municipal Art Gallery of Molyvos at 21.00.

The goal is to promote local products while also presenting alternative options for their final presentation.  Cooperation between the producers and the bystanders will also be encouraged so as to jointly present the products in a single recipe.

2nd Day // 15-7-2017

On the second day of the festival, the children will be the protagonists as they will be introduced to the art of cooking and will get to “play” with their senses.  In the evening, a beachside party will find us listening to amazing  guitarists while drinking cocktails inspired by drinks produced by the Lesvian Distilleries with Molyvos as our backdrop.  Our guest of honour… Alexandros Papandreou in a “surprise role”, who will be presenting local ingredients and recipes.

Cooking with Children (10.00 – 12.00)

Children between 5-8 and 9-12 years of age can participate in a traditional-recipe workshops that will take place at Lefkoniko Square. The aim is to activate the children’s senses associated with cooking and for them to get to know the raw materials and recipes of our island. Suggested recipes are “gkiouzlemedes”, “moustokouloura” (biscuits made from grapemust), “sfouggato”, “Finikia” cookies and zucchini flowers stuffed with rice.  During thhe introduction to the cooking workshop, children will also learn about blends of herbs and spices with sea salt from the salt mines of the island.

Open bar on the beach (21.00)

A modern-day version of presenting alcoholic beverages that is differentiated from the traditional style of “treating” or “accompanying food”, highlights combinations of alcoholic beverages in cocktails or long drinks based on the alcoholic beverages produced on our island. In a “party” style atmosphere on the beach of Molyvos, we aim to introduce and promote our local alcoholic beverages, such as ouzo, cherry, brandy and liqueur.

3rd Day // 16-7-2017

Ouzo with “mezes” and dance at the port of Molyvos (21.00)

A festive day dedicated to ouzo. The main event of the festival, with locals and visitors as its main protagonists, will present all the manifestations of Lesvian entertainment (dancing, music, ouzodrinking).

A celebration will be held at the port of Molyvos, with an emphasis on the gastronomic tradition of the island, which is based on ouzo, mezes and good company.

Contributors to the event will be dance clubs, traditional music orchestras, the harbor taverns, beverages producers and of course the participants-both local and from all over the world. Throughout the festival, the cooperating businesses of Molivos – and not only – will be serving traditional ouzo with mezes in restaurants and taverns.

The purpose is to present our musical-dancing tradition at the port of Molyvos, while exhibiting the message of “togetherness”.

Parallels

Salt and herbs of Lesvos (Saturday & Sunday 10.30 – 12.30)

In the newly renovated Ottoman Bathhouse, the “Hamam”, the herbs of Lesbos will be presented in various combinations with Lesvian salt. The impressive building of the Hamam will host this wonderful event during which visitors will be able to make their acquaintance with the salt of Lesvos and its production process in the Salt mines of Kalloni, which are one of the most important wetlands in the Mediterranean. In combination with the salt, we will come to identify, smell and combine the precious herbs of the Lesvian land.

Olive oil tasting (Saturday & Sunday 10.30 – 12.30)

The Conference Center of Molivos will be hosting Olive producers so that visitors may make their acquaintance with the Agrimitiani, Kolovis and Lamolias olives, from which the famous and highly awarded PGI Lesvian olive oil is produced. The well-loved olive oil-tasting will be accompanied by the creation of the traditional “kapirada” (baked bread dipped in olive oil and sprinkled with various herbs).