Today, the Provincial Press Room of the Zaragoza Provincial Council hosted the launch of the second edition of the Provincial Heirloom Tomato Contest, organized by the Town Hall of Zuera as part of the culinary experiences ‘Zuera Sabor’.
Participants in the contest presentation —which will take place on August 21 and 22 at the Town’s Community Center— included Cristina Palacín, the DPZ’s delegate for Tourism; María José Guzmán, the secretary of the Town Hall of Zuera; and Miguel Ángel Vicente, director of El Gastrónomo Zaragozano.
Cristina Palacín congratulated the Town Hall of Zuera for the originality of this unique initiative in Aragón. The tourism delegate also stated that the DPZ will always support initiatives like this that highlight the value of our gardens and recognize the work of farmers, producers, and, in this case, also researchers.
María José Guzmán, representing the Mayor of Zuera, José Manuel Salazar, who was unable to attend, outlined the basics of this free entry contest, which will commence on the morning of August 21 with the reception of the competing tomatoes at the Community Center in Zuera.
The contest is part of the ‘Zuera Sabor’ program, a prominent gastronomic event in our locality, a true source of pride for food enthusiasts. Guzmán reminded attendees that the day before the contest, on the afternoon of August 21, a new gastronomic experience featuring tomatoes will be held.
In this second edition of the contest, we hope to surpass last year’s participation and continue to solidify this event in the province, Guzmán continued, concluding by inviting everyone to help promote this contest to encourage a large number of gardeners to participate and to come to Zuera during these days to enjoy the contest, the events, and all that our land has to offer.
Miguel Ángel Vicente noted that the contest celebrates its second edition after generating significant interest last year. It was launched to recognize quality tomatoes that are local and fresh, as well as to introduce new varieties and recover some traditional ones that many are unaware of.
This contest, which does not require pre-registration and is open to all gardeners in the province of Zaragoza, both amateurs and professionals, features two categories: heirloom and new generation tomatoes. The director of El Gastrónomo Zaragozano explained that the tomatoes, submitted on the morning of August 21 at the Community Center in Zuera, will be displayed that same afternoon during the ‘Zuera Sabor’ event and again on the 22nd, starting at 9:30 a.m. Following that, there will be two interesting presentations accompanied by tomato tastings.
At 10 a.m., Cristina Mallor, a researcher at CITA and director of BGHZ, will speak about The Tomatoes in the Germplasm Bank and the Recovery of the ‘Zaragozano’ Variety, which we will taste. Subsequently, Amparo Llamazares, president of Slow Food Zaragoza, will present the talk All Tomatoes Are Not Created Equal: Organoleptic Differences and Tasting of Four Tomato Varieties.
Starting at noon, an expert jury will deliberate on which tomatoes are the best, concluding the day at 1 p.m. with the award ceremony. The finalists will receive a commemorative ceramic plate, and the best from each of the two categories will receive a cash prize of 300 euros in addition to the plate.
