The Embassy of Colombia in Spain has welcomed the presentation of the third edition of the Ibero-American Gastronomic Congress binomial What will be celebrated in Huelva from October 23 to 25, thus consolidating the capital and province of Huelva as a link for the Latin American gastronomic sector.
An act with which Colombia, guest country of this edition, acquires the leading role of Ibero-American gastronomy and has had the participation of the Ambassador of Colombia Eduardo Ávila Navarrete, the Adviser to the Minister of Culture of Colombia, Marcela Arandia, the Secretary of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for America and El Caribe, Gustavo Santos, the Head of the Environmental Division of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), Jorge Andrés Osorio, the Strategic Director of Tourism Innovation of the Provincial Council of Huelva, Jesús Díaz, the Delegate of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Junta de Andalucía in Huelva, Teresa Herrera, the Director of Binómico Alberto de Paz and the Mayor of Huelva, Gabriel Cruz. In addition, the event was attended by the General Director of the Union of Capital Cities of Ibero-America (UCCI), Ana Román, the General Director of ICEX, Elisa Carbonel, the General Director of CEOE International and Permanent Secretary of the Business Council Ibero-Americans, Narciso Casado, the president of the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy, Luis Suárez de Lezo Ferrer, Academician of the Dominican Academy of Gastronomy, Alejandro Abellán, Academician of the Andalusian Academy of Gastronomy and the Royal Academy of Gastronomy, Paz Ivinson, the General Director of Casa América, Enrique Ojeda, the Delegate of the Junta de Andalucía in Madrid Vicente Azpitarte, the Huelva City Councilor for Tourism, Francisco Balufo, the Honduran Ambassador, Marlon Brevé and various representatives of Ibero-American Embassies, Deputies, Senators , specialized press and personalities from the gastronomic sector.
Gabriel Cruz, mayor of Huelva, has thanked all the administrations for their support for a congress that is a benchmark in gastronomic matters in the world to highlight that “Huelva and Colombia are united by the drive of the agri-food industry; that enhancement of the biodiversity of our territory and of the local product; and that ambition to project our wealth and gastronomic offer in the world”.
Likewise, he highlighted that “the third edition of binomial It looks exciting, even more so if we take into account Colombia’s contribution to the debate on the social function of gastronomy and to the discovery of the gastronomic wisdom of indigenous peoples. We are embarking on a new journey to continue positioning Huelva hand in hand with Ibero-American cuisines in the world, and to strengthen gastronomy as one of the main engines of our development and one of the most relevant claims with which we can and must activate our economy”
For his part, the Minister of Culture of Colombia, Jorge Ignacio Zorro, who was prevented by last-minute unforeseen events from being present at this presentation, did not want to stop remarking that “we celebrate the invitation of Colombia as the guest country of the third edition of Binómico in Huelva, Spain. It fills us with pride because in this edition one of the central axes will be the dialogues between traditional kitchens and contemporary gastronomy, an opportunity to make visible the knowledge of the bearers of our country and promote their encounter with the kitchens of the world”.
And he added that “this participation also represents the region’s recognition of the advances in the policy for the knowledge, safeguarding and promotion of food and traditional cuisines of Colombia, which is aligned with the National Development Plan of this government and its axis of transformation: Human Right to Food. The culinary legacy of our territories is one of the pillars of the intangible cultural heritage of the Nation and contributes invaluably to the resilience, encounter, dialogue, training, reconciliation and coexistence of our communities.”
The Tourism Delegate of the Junta de Andalucía in Huelva, Teresa Herrera, has commented that “The segment of gastronomic tourism is our standard bearer but it does not go alone, but is the engine and common thread of agricultural, fishing, livestock activity… In short, economic sectors that provide raw materials of the highest quality, to ensure that the sharing of Andalusian and Huelva gastronomy, in conjunction with the Ibero-American, which comes hand in hand in this edition of Colombia, create an unbeatable international space, where products resulting from such a fusion are created ”
On the other hand, the Strategic Director of Tourism Innovation of the Provincial Council of Huelva, Jesús Díaz, has emphasized the importance that “for the Council is to continue contributing to the success of Binómico, a responsibility that we assume from our commitment to Latin America. Gastronomy is serving as a link between our peoples on both sides of the Ocean and on this occasion, having Colombia as the guest country, we can only applaud this vision of “gastronomy for peace. In this convulsed world that we have had to live in, perhaps the table and gastronomy are key elements to relax and depolarize the discourse”. To conclude that “on that path, they will always find us.”
The Director of Binómico, Alberto de Paz, expressed his satisfaction at having Colombia as a guest country “From the diversity of fauna and flora in Colombia, a varied gastronomy arises with little influence from foreign cuisines. Colombian gastronomy is as diverse as its climate, its landscapes and its cultural manifestations, and the fact that participation in Binómico is led by the Ministry of Culture highlights the importance of this sector as a maintainer and transmitter of the culture and identity of the countries” to continue pointing out that “Gastronomy is currently one of the key engines for tourism in any country in the world, as well as being an important cultural hallmark. Ibero-America has an extraordinary diversity, but with a very clear common DNA that is revealed in Binómico, creating synergies and giving voice to new collaboration and promotion projects of the 22 Ibero-American countries”
The person in charge of the environmental division of SEGIB, Mr. Jorge Andrés Osorio, also spoke at the event. “Binómico represents a favorable space to value the contribution of gastronomy and food systems to Sustainable Development, recognizing its potential to respond to the economic, social and environmental challenges of Ibero-American countries. The congress is aligned with the mandates of the Heads of State and Government, who at the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit reaffirmed their mandate to align Ibero-American cooperation with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially highlighting the strengthening of the environmental dimension, including the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns within the framework of the Ibero-American Plan for Sustainable Gastronomy and Food_ PIGA 2030”
The UNWTO Secretary for the Americas and the Caribbean, Gustavo Santos, has affirmed that “Gastronomy is probably the maximum expression of a community. A sign of identity and attraction like few in any tourist destination. The process of own products from the land to the plate is a wonderful sustainable transit through the lives of people and terroirs. Any contribution to gastronomic development as a tourism product, as Binómico represents, is valued by our World Tourism Organization in its vision of sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism.
Binómico will return in October with the objectives of reinforcing the hallmark of Ibero-America, valuing its diversity; mark the inclusive and international character of the congress where 22 countries will be represented; disseminate Ibero-American culture through gastronomy; convert Huelva into a link with the Ibero-American gastronomic culture; and support the commitments of governments and institutions with the 2030 Agenda, through gastronomy and healthy eating.
The event culminated with a cocktail washed down with Condado de Huelva PDO wines prepared by chef Edwin Rodríguez from the Quimbaya restaurant, which has one Michelin Star, and traditional Colombian cook Luz Dary Cogollo, who stated “we have prepared a journey through the flavors and knowledge of the culinary regions of Colombia so that attendees can travel, from the Andean region to the Colombian Caribbean, passing through the Amazon transporting to the South Pacific through our elaborations. This menu is inspired by women and men from the Colombian countryside, seas and rivers, by cooks who feed our bodies and souls with their hands”.
