On the first day of the Caminos y Sabores fair, the aromas of national cuisine visited the La Rural property. Entrepreneurs from provinces such as Catamarca, Chubut, Corrientes or Santa Fe, offer their local products, both to taste and to buy. SMEs, small and more commercial brands exhibited their food and drink.
The fair is present in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo until this Sunday, from 12 noon to 8 p.m.giving many entrepreneurs the opportunity to spread and sell their unique products.
During the 4 days, you can walk 9 thematic paths: Federal Road; of the Picadas; of Dressings and Oils; of the Beverages; of the Sweets; of the Fruits of the Earth; of the Infusions; Tourism and Tradition; and your kitchen.
Also 40 chefs from all over the country they set their burners in motion to prepare typical dishes from their regions, provinces and towns. The heart of the fair is made up of 450 Argentine entrepreneurs and their wide variety of food, drinks, handicrafts and tourist destinations that allow us to delve deeper into what lies behind each product, its production process, the land where it is produced, the climate and even life stories.
19 Argentine provinces gave the presenteach one with a selection of its best entrepreneurs and creators of the most characteristic products of each region.
(Photos Leo Cow)
At the stand of the Province of Río Negro, “Vientos de Té” stands out, a Cipoletti family enterprise. Mariano Gala and Mariana Caramuta are the people behind these Patagonian teas that contain the essence of the region when mixed with southern fruits and flowers and by supplying tea houses both in the area, such as Mendoza or Bahía Blanca.
Since 2018 they have been enabled as a processing room at a national level: “In this fair we show the work we do in Cipolletti. We dehydrate the fruit from the upper valley and mix it with tea leaves that we select from the tea areas, Corrientes and Misiones, and mix them with other ingredients that we dehydrate such as tangerine, orange, ginger, rosehip” among others, commented Mariana in Talk to this agency. Through the use of flowers and fruits from the South, they manage to “give a very Patagonian identity to the product.”
The teas that Mariano and Mariana produce are small works of art, not only the tea itself but also the aesthetics of the package and the label. The label is made by the artist, María Eugenia Llorente, who makes freehand illustrations, with the doodle art technique: “each label is different by using different colors according to the ingredients of each of the teas. In this way, the product has an added cultural component”, explained Mariana.
“In our bazaar, people stop by to buy an autochthonous, local souvenir to take as a souvenir” of a trip, of the visit to Cipolletti and surroundings.
The couple of entrepreneurs agreed that it is “a joy” to participate in this fair and that it is a good opportunity to connect and do business with other producers both from your province and from other: “These types of events are the ones that level you up, keep you active,” reflected Gala.
For both, Winds of Tea means an “achievement, a son, a family dream, where we can summarize what Patagonia is in our product.”
Secondly, “Licores Bard” is another family business from the province of Entre Ríos. Today the brothers Lucía, Francisco and Ana Laura, great-granddaughters of the founders, keep alive the tradition that their ancestors began.
They produce artisanal liqueurs from yatay -the fruit of the palm tree-, honey and orange, sweet and strong drinks with fruits macerated for many months and with one hundred percent natural ingredients. “Bard is our mother’s last name and we are very happy to be able to continue the family tradition that began in 1908”Analía commented with a smile.
In the stands of the Province of Chubutthe entrepreneurs are very friendly and offer products ranging from shrimp or salmon pâté -Bivalvia-, apple or pear ciders -Checkmate to the queen- to raspberry beers -Eutophia-.
In the case of the province of La Rioja there is a lot of olive oil that the producers themselves tell their story, as was the case with Petrus, which was founded by two cousins: “It is a venture that originated in 2006 and we have both been fighting over it and it has gone quite well, thank God. We try to make a good quality oil so that you like it. It is the fifth year that we are at the fair. It is important that they get to know us and that they know that there is a good product to consume”.
There are several spaces where visitors can sit down to eat and continue enjoying the products purchased at country-style wooden tables.
Caminos y Sabores is a great excuse to travel from north to south, from east to west in Argentina, to learn more about the raw materials and local products of each of the provinces, as well as the faces behind them. A fair that, in short, is an Argentine journey of flavors.
