Catalonia showcases its World Region of Gastronomy 2025 distinction at Lleida's MOS fair

From 27 to 29 September the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, through Prodeca, the Catalan food promotion agency, will take part in Lleida's MOS fair (formerly the Sant Miquel fair), within the Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy 2025 distinction. With a programme of activities championing the diversity and quality of Catalan agri-food products, the Department's institutional stand will be a key space for presenting the major strategic projects linked to the recognition as World Region of Gastronomy 2025, connecting cooking, territory and society with the aim of preserving and giving visibility to Catalan culinary heritage.

The MOS fair marks a step forward in the evolution of the historic Sant Miquel fair, which this year puts gastronomy and quality food centre stage. In this new setting, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food and Prodeca present a space with workshops, tastings and presentations covering the main sectors of the Catalan agri-food system: from extra virgin olive oil to cheeses and cured meats, by way of wines, honey, pastries and craft beer.

Over three days visitors will discover initiatives showing the cultural, heritage and innovative dimensions of Catalan cooking. Under the project 12 months, 12 landscapes , which explores the wealth of foods and cuisines that flourish in each region through the seasons, the Lleida landscape takes centre stage along with the role its local produce plays in building a culinary identity of its own. The programme will also highlight the project Herois del Rebost (Pantry Heroes), which recognises producers and processors who keep the tradition and authenticity of Catalan products alive, highlighting their efforts to preserve diversity and quality despite the challenges of a globalised market. The fight against food waste, linked to the culture of using everything and to the historic hearty breakfasts, will be another key theme, with workshops combining information and live cooking to raise awareness of making the most of resources and reducing waste.

The programme is completed by activities connecting tradition, knowledge and the future. The Benvinguts a Pagès project will celebrate its tenth edition with a presentation and producer tastings, recalling the importance of bringing the rural world closer to the public. The initiative Gastrosàvies, created within the World Region of Gastronomy, will highlight the wisdom of older women as keepers of traditional culinary knowledge. At MOS the project will take a special role with two sessions led by women from the Ebro Delta, who will show recipes and dishes linked to rice and citrus, connecting product, landscape and collective memory. The space will also champion game meat, with a session by chef Sergi Aritzeta of the El Truc restaurant in Agramunt, who will show some easy recipes to make at home, aiming to boost consumption of this sustainable, quality product. The institutional presence will also champion the work of differentiated quality products such as PDOs and PGIs, which guarantee the origin and excellence of Catalan produce and strengthen its prestige in domestic and international markets, with sessions and tastings over the fair's three days of extra virgin olive oils, Pyrenean cheeses, Catalan cured meats, artisan pastries, honey and Lleida beers, among others.

The activity will also highlight the connection between gastronomy and territory, with guided tastings of Lleida wines and beers, sessions on game meat and on agricultural cooperatives' products, and a historical look at Catalan cooking through the Llibre de Sent Soví, the oldest recipe book in Catalan.

On the institutional side, the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, plans to visit the fair on Monday 29 September and will take part in the session on hearty, no-waste breakfasts. The Director General for Agri-food Companies, Quality and Gastronomy, Joan Gòdia Tresànchez, will take part in the presentation of Gastrosàvies, underlining the value of passing culinary knowledge between generations. For her part Prodeca's director, Dèlia Perpiñà, will take part in the presentation of the Vinari Award for the International Promotion of Catalan Wine, alongside the Vinari Awards' director, Ramon Roset. The award recognises a figure or organisation based outside the country who has significantly helped strengthen the image and positioning of Catalan wine in strategic international markets.

Through its participation in MOS, the Department of Agriculture highlights the importance of gastronomy as a cultural and economic driver for the country. The scheduled tastings, workshops and awards are an opportunity to give visibility to producers, show the richness of Catalan culinary heritage and strengthen the connection between territory, farming and the public. The fair thus becomes a space to share and show what it means to be Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy 2025.