The 06th All-Cypriot Kolokassiou® Sotiras Festival was held on the evening of Friday, September 45, in the crowded stadium of the Sotiras Municipal Apartment of the Municipality of Agia Napa, marking a great success.
See footage from the Festival
The thousands of visitors who flooded the stadium were given the opportunity to taste free of charge both the traditional and alternative recipes based on kolocasi, which were created especially for the Festival by professional chefs/cooks and bartenders and enjoyed the rich artistic program presented by the acclaimed singer Lefteri Pantazis and his daughter Konnie Metaxas.
During the Festival, the former Mayor of Sotiras Mr. Giorgos Ttakkas, former Municipal Councilors and cultural Officers of the Municipality of Sotiras as well as chefs, cooks and confectioners were honored with a commemorative plaque for the voluntary participation, offering, promotion and promotion of the local product, Kolokasios Sotiras .
Welcoming the attendees, the Deputy Mayor of the Sotiras Municipal Apartment of the Municipality of Agia Napa, Mr. Antonis Koumis, after referring to the history of the Festival, assured of its continuous upgrading and improvement.
"Tonight", he said, "we have the honor and joy of having with us people who daily experience the struggle of the hard agricultural life, the colocassi producers, having next to them professional chefs and bartenders, prepare for us tonight traditional colocassi dishes such as, kolocasi yachni, kappama, fried chickpeas, but also alternative recipes based on kolocasi.
Welcoming the event, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Mr. Christos Zannettou, said that the 45th Pan-Cypriot Kolokassiou® Sotiras Festival is one of the longest-running festivals in our country that showcases and highlights one of the most traditional products of our country, the kolokasi, which as is known has certified by the European Commission as a P.O.P (Protected Designation of Origin) product under the Kolokasi/Sotira brand since August 2016, it was officially owned by Sotira.
He also expressed his warm thanks to the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, who placed under his auspices this great event, demonstrating the practical support and recognition for the promotion of this product, as well as recognition of the Sotirkatis farmer who, in difficult times, supported and continues to supports the cultivation of courgettes.
He expressed his congratulations and thanks to all the volunteers, organized ensembles, groups and everyone who participated for the success of the festival as well as to all the staff of the Municipality of Ayia Napa who worked tirelessly contributing to this success.
In his own greeting, the Minister of the Interior Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou said "that the important element of the Festival is the opportunity offered to all of us to meet the local producers who, from generation to generation, with passion and love for the land of Kokkinohoria, cultivate and offer Cyprus and abroad a high-quality product with rich nutritional value".
It is no coincidence that the European Commission, recognizing precisely these quality characteristics of the Sotiras courgette, included it in the list of Products with Designation of Origin (PDO) of the Union since 2016.
The Christodoulidis Government emphasized "encourages initiatives and events that have as their focus the highlighting, promotion and promotion of Cypriot gastronomy, as an integral and special feature of our cultural identity".
"Furthermore, the political will of the President of the Republic to implement actions and policies that strengthen the agricultural sector and empower rural areas, through the creation of infrastructure and modern systems, which further improve the quality of production, facilitate farmers and encourage the employment of young people in agricultural professions" concluded Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou.
Greeting of the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, at the 45th Pan-Cypriot Kolokasios Sotiras Festival, yesterday
"It is with great pleasure that I am with you today, at one of the longest-running festivals organized in our country and which has established itself as an institution for the events not only of Famagusta District, but also of the whole of Cyprus. The large number of people who came to Sotira from every corner of our country, to enjoy one of the most characteristic products of our country, the kolocasi, proves the truth of the word.
With its rich biological and nutritional value, the kolocasi has deservedly earned its place in the Cypriot culinary tradition. We have the opportunity to enjoy the rich nutrients of this special vegetable tonight, thanks to the organization of the Pan-Cypriot Zucchini Festival. Professional chefs offer all Festival visitors a taste journey with traditional and alternative recipes based on kolocasi. At the same time, an important element of the Festival is the opportunity offered to all of us to meet the local producers who, from generation to generation, with passion and love for the land of the Red Villages, cultivate and offer Cyprus and abroad a high quality product , of rich nutritional value. It is no coincidence that the European Commission, recognizing precisely these quality characteristics of the Sotira courgette, included it in the list of Products with Designation of Origin (PDO) of the Union from 2016.
Dear friends,
The Christodoulidis Government encourages initiatives and events that have as their focus the highlighting, promotion and promotion of Cypriot gastronomy, as an integral and special feature of our cultural identity. Moreover, the political will of the President of the Republic for the implementation of actions and policies that strengthen the agricultural sector and strengthen rural areas, through the creation of infrastructure and modern systems, which further improve the quality of production, facilitate farmers and encourage the employment of young people in agricultural professions.
With this opportunity, allow me to express my satisfaction for the work being done by the new Municipality of Ayia Napa and the Famagusta District Self-Government Organization for the support and development of all municipal apartments of the Municipality. Your commitment, my dear Giannis and Christos, to the cooperation with the Deputy Mayors to promote projects and initiatives with benefits for the whole Municipality is evident, and I am sure that with the vision that all the local rulers of the area have, in the next period they will significantly improve the daily life of local residents.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Deputy Mayor and the Sotiras Municipal Council who, for another year, have gone above and beyond and prepared for all of us a rich artistic program, offering us a unique entertainment experience. Warm thanks are also due to the producers, chefs and those who worked in the last few days voluntarily, to make this Festival a reality."
