Aegean Gastronomy

A Few Words

George Hatzimarkos, Governor, Region of South Aegean

From the time of Archestratus to this day, the Southern Aegean Islands' gastronomy makes up some of the most ancient cuisines of the world that are famously documented and has never lost its unique, authentic flabour.
From brilliant descriptions in Homer to the lavish symposia of classical Antiquity and the Deipnosofistae, from Hippocrates' "On Diet" and Plato's "Symposium" to Andrew Dalby's "Siren Feasts", all register an exciting historic gastronomic narrative.

Region

Main Domains of Professional Activities in the Region of South Aegean

Tourism is by far the most dynamic sector in the array of opportunities for economic development in the Region of South Aegean, hence the leading position of this region in Greek tourism.
The Region of South Aegean is one of the 13 Hellenic Regions to have been formally classified as Regions Depending on Fishing; there are 11 Regions in Europe to have in total been classified as such.

Stakeholders

All the stakeholders participating in our meetings, showed great enthusiasm which was very important to the process as we gathered in a very short time many of the representatives of the main institutions from all around the Region.

Objectives

The Region of South Aegean has set five objectives on which we have built our process and will be the basis for evaluation for the European Region of Gastronomy 2019.

Upgrade the Region of South Aegean to a gastronomic tourism destination.

Increase the number of labelled and certified key local products.

Create local products from local produce to be used throughout the tourism chain.

Manage a better cooperation and collaboration throughout the food chain, from the producer to the end consumer.

Incetivise and motivate people to recongnise the opportunities in remaining and returning to their homeland.

Calendar of Events

Gastronomic Events

Tourism is by far the most dynamic sector in the array of opportunities for economic development in the Region of South Aegean, hence the leading position of this region in Greek tourism.