The packed schedule of meetings and initiatives dedicated to the spiny artichoke of Cerda continues. Among exceptional guests, music, and local excellences, the 42nd edition of the Cynara Festival confirms itself once again this year as a significant event, with taste travelers coming from all over Sicily.
Cerda, April 26, 2024 – Art, innovation, and quality eno-gastronomy continue to animate a Cynara Festival that is collecting great consensus from both enthusiasts and the most qualified local and national press, alike. A record-breaking 42nd edition with many innovations introduced, which, day after day, have condensed into real “taste experiences” to feel the authenticity of Cerda‘s most identifying cultivar: the spiny violet artichoke. A vegetable symbol of an entire community, presented in various culinary variations along the main streets of the country and in all the involved local restaurants, the subject of interesting educational and instructional moments during the day of Friday, April 26th.
The tribute to the Cerda artichoke began at 09:30 with a visit to the Archaeological Area of Himera followed by a talk to signify the importance of the ‘site’ in connection with the Circuit of Culture and Taste. A significant meeting to underline the prospective value of a network system between Cerda, Bagheria, Cefalù, Palermo, Termini Imerese, and which saw the presence of some professionals in the eno-gastronomic sector, together with that of the highest institutional bodies, in particular: the Mayor of Cerda and Regional Parliamentarian Salvatore Geraci, the General Manager for Agriculture Dario Cartabellotta, and the Director of the Archaeological Park of Himera, Solunto, and Iato, Domenico Targia.
The celebrations then continued with the taste workshop on the artichoke, conducted by Christian Conigliaro from Locanda del Gusto in Palermo. An opportunity for discussion on the culinary use of the “prince of local gastronomy” vegetable, which, for the occasion, became the perfect filling for a first course of fresh pasta, with lemon butter and shrimp tartare. Shades of taste and texture pairings also featured the Cerda spiny artichoke during tastings and cooking shows that illuminated this corner of Sicilian land until late at night. Closing the event, a suggestive show of lights and colors with the video mapping dedicated to the ancient myth of the Nymph Cynara, projected in the spaces of the Cerda Municipal Villa.
Dense with meetings and initiatives, the Cynara Festival continues, therefore, to be an event of extraordinary relevance capable of attracting tens of thousands of people each year in search of memorable experiences linked to the promotion of this gastronomic “treasure”. A historical production spread over an area of approximately 700 hectares, in an area between the Madonie and the northeast coast of Palermo, which today, thanks to the intervention of small farmers and the municipal administration, is experiencing a second youth.
“The spiny artichoke represents the jewel in the crown of our economy, as evidenced by the acts of love of entire Cerda families who, over the years, have tied their existence to this small but important vegetable, – emphasizes the Mayor and Regional Parliamentarian, Salvatore Geraci – Thanks to the notoriety achieved by the Cynara Festival, we now have a great opportunity, that of ‘networking’ and forging alliances with the territory and the most prepared catering. Cerda, Bagheria, Cefalù, Palermo, Termini Imerese, are the destinations on which we want to bet to enhance the prospective value of this important cultural, as well as productive, deposit, which has rightfully entered among the excellences of our Island’s agri-food sector”.