Gozo has begun preparations to submit a bid for the title of European Region of Gastronomy.
The initiative forms part of a recently launched cultural strategy focusing on each of the country’s regions, with Gozo being one of them.
Francesco Grech, the manager responsible for culture within the Gozo region, said the strategy contained a list of ideas aiming to maximise the potential of each region.
Grech said that the idea behind the bid was to create a gastronomy trail promoting typical Gozitan food, including sea salt, not only as food but also as an artistic expression.
The plan was to focus on a farm-to-fork experience, encompassing all aspects of gastronomic development and connecting historic approaches to contemporary innovation.
Malta’s sister island is well-known for its gastronomy, not least the traditional ġbejna, as well as other delicacies such as its bread, the Gozitan ftira, sea salt from its various salt pans scattered around the island, sundried tomatoes, agricultural produce and other delicacies.
The European Region of Gastronomy Award is granted by a panel of experts at the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism.
It aims to attract visitors to the region and also to raise citizen awareness about the food they eat, the value of local products and the need to innovate in order to protect local produce.
Discussion now underway with stakeholders, including individuals, NGOs and local councils, would determine how the Gozo trail would be brought to fruition and fit in culturally, Grech said.
Gozo will also make a bid to become the European Capital of Culture 2031.
The strategy for Gozo was developed following research on its cultural assets and includes three themes: talent development, audience engagement and heritage innovation.
Research suggests that the main priority for the Gozo region is to enhance connectivity.
With 7% of the population of the islands living and working in Gozo, and many more crossing between the two islands as part of their working day, this priority has an impact on the Maltese economy, including on the sectors related to heritage, culture and tourism.
The report states that Gozo can be recognised on the global stage as being culturally and socially different to Malta on the basis of its festivals, such as carnival, its food and the Ċittadella, a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The national strategy, led by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with the Local Government Division and the Local Councils’ Association, is a five-year plan.
It is part of a wider plan to further decentralise cultural activity and empower more local communities to lead cultural development, built on the contributions of cultural experts and hundreds of stakeholders.
According to Samuel Azzopardi, president of the Gozo Regional Council, the island has its own cultural identity which welcomes both local and international audiences.
This is why, for the first time in its history, it developed a regionally focused cultural strategy that meets the needs of Gozo as an island distinct from other regions in Malta.
“Our strategy represents our vision for the coming years,” he says in his foreword to the strategy document.
“Yet, we are aware that its success relies on widescale endorsement and commitment. Only then will we witness Gozo’s arts and culture flourish in a sustainable manner.”