Andorra Taste Popular closes its most successful edition with 56,000 tastings sold

The area around Prat del Roure (Escaldes-Engordany) once again hosted the popular part of the event, which, thanks to summer-like weather for much of the weekend, was packed with locals and visitors enjoying high-mountain cuisine in a fun and festive atmosphere. Not even the rain, which made an appearance on the last day of the fair, dampened the spirits of the food lovers who continued sampling the creations that local restaurateurs had prepared especially for the occasion.

The event's success has translated into record-breaking figures, solidifying Andorra Taste Popular as the country's most important gastronomic event. Nearly 56,000 tastings were sold over the three days, including tapas and small plates created for the occasion by participating Andorran restaurateurs, as well as the wide selection of wines, cavas, beers, vermouths, and soft drinks offered. "We are pleasantly surprised by the figures achieved," said Betim Budzaku, Director General of Andorra Turisme. While he admitted the organizers were confident they could surpass last year's 35,000 tastings, they hadn't expected to reach 55,800 this year. "We're talking about a 61% increase, which makes us extremely happy," Budzaku concluded.

These figures confirm the current boom in Andorran gastronomy, the result of work carried out in recent years in the Principality, with a firm commitment from the Government of Andorra to gastronomy as an engine of change, in collaboration with the country's restaurant sector, and with the support and guidance of Vocento Gastronomía. In this regard, the CEO of Vocento Gastronomía, Benjamín Lana, noted that “with events like Andorra Taste Popular, we are all working together to build high-altitude gastronomy, as evidenced by the ever-increasing quality of the tastings prepared by the participating chefs.”

But Andorra Taste wasn't just about sampling the country's culinary creations; it was also a time for enjoyment and learning. From Friday to Sunday, various cooking workshops for children were held, along with several live cooking demonstrations and tastings of wines, beers, and vermouths. And let's not forget the live musical performances by several bands that enlivened the fair.

The success of savoring the territory

The spectacular public response, which even led to some restaurants running out of stock at certain times, makes it difficult to pinpoint the best-selling tapa. However, we can highlight that among the most successful tapas during the three-day gastronomic festival were (in alphabetical order by restaurant): the Andorran veal stew with trinxat and seasonal mushrooms from Beç Restaurant (Escaldes-Engordany), the Peking duck bikini from Kao Soldeu (Soldeu), and the duck confit bao with plum sauce and elderflower jelly from Mood Sensorial Restaurant (Escaldes-Engordany).

These are closely followed by the rest of the proposals from the participants in this fourth edition of Andorra Taste: Can Manel (Andorra la Vella), Casino Unnic (Andorra la Vella), Celler d'en Toni (Andorra La Vella), El Racó del Simó (Canillo), Diamant Espai Gastronòmic (Andorra La Vella), Hotel Starc Coure Andorra (Andorra La Vella), Jou la Borda (Sispony), Kökosnøt (Andorra la Vella), L'Isard (Andorra la Vella), Minim's (Andorra la Vella), Odetti Bistró (Escaldes-Engordany), Plató Restaurant-Art Hotel (Andorra la Vella), Sol i Neu Hermitage (Soldeu), Sottovoce (Andorra la Vella), ToC Restaurant & Cocktail Bar (La Massana). To these we must add the gourmet shop Ana Cerezo Pernilea! (Andorra la Vella) and the pastry shops, Les Delícies del Jimmy (Canillo), Sauleda (Andorra la Vella) and Youcake by Estopiñán (Escaldes-Engordany). You could also find a stand with agricultural products and artisans from the country.

The power of gastronomy to revitalize mountain environments

Andorra Taste Popular has brought to a close a dual event, with a section open to the general public as well as a professional component. The latter session was very well attended, with over a thousand participants—both in person and online—who followed the presentations from more than twenty different countries.

This year's event featured some of the biggest names in international cuisine, including several chefs representing Alpine cuisine (the Alps returned to Andorra Taste as the guest region this year). Among those visiting Andorra were Austrian chef Maximilian Stock, Zineb Hattab, the Spanish-Moroccan chef based in Switzerland, and Slovenian chef Uroš Štefelin. The event also welcomed Daduna Ghlonti, one of the leading ambassadors of Georgian cuisine in Europe. As in previous editions, the presence of French and Spanish chefs was also significant, with names such as Emmanuel Renault, Stéphane Tournié, Javier Olleros, Oriol Castro, Luis Alberto Lera, and Francis Paniego.

Andorra Taste thus closes a fourth edition in which the comprehensive commitment of mountain cuisine to the territory and its willingness to work sustainably has been demonstrated, as well as all the potential it has to be a driving force for mountain environments.