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This year’s AGROTRAVEL will bring together the Culinary Heritage network. The exhibition stand of over 100 square metres will be the presentation platform for traditional dishes from a number of Poland’s and Lithuania’s regions.

With the advent of mass production the market has become dominated by foreign companies and large-format shopping chains; in recent years this situation has had a negative impact on food quality; many farms and small companies which produced high-quality food have gone bankrupt. Many consumers have recently discovered that the food quality is more important than its price. The meaning of “high food quality” expression has also redeveloped its meaning. More and more often it is associated with the expressions like: “natural’, “local”, “traditional” or “ecological”. The European Network of Regional Culinary Heritage identifies and facilitates the activities dedicated to the development of high quality food market development in this very sense.

The Network founders – the local government representatives of South-East Scania in Sweden and the Bornholm Island in Denmark, basing upon clients’ interest in regional food and culinary traditions as well as local production made the resolution to protect the local farmers and small food producers from going bankrupt. Thus they initiated the co called culinary tourism. A special sign – a white cook’s cap with a knife and a fork on its sides, upon the blue background and with the Culinary Heritage words, was developed in order to make it easier for consumers and tourist to find the local food specialities delivered by local farmers and small food production companies. This symbol has been the guiding post for 15 years already; it is recognised in 25 regions of Europe including the Swietokrzyskie region.

The Network is rooted in consumers’ awareness as they pay more and more attention not only to the food origin and its quality but also to its traditional, historic and cultural background. The network also makes use of the increased demand for natural, safe and tasty food which is produced locally. The regions’ participation in the Network translates into development of small and medium sized companies of the food production sector. Another result is the fact that consumers follow this blue and white logo; thus they are guaranteed a high product quality. It is also the assurance that the food has been made locally by farmers and food processing workshops and the products offered by local restaurants are characteristic for this very region.

From among all European countries there is a strong representation of Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) which are accompanied by Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania. All in all there are 25 member regions of ENRCH and one candidate. Besides the Swietokrzyskie region, Poland is also represented by Warmia and Masuria, Mazovia, Wielkopolska, Lower Silesia, Pomerania, Western Pomerania, Kujawy & Pomerania.

Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship has been regional member of the Network since 17th February 2010. Within the Network’s framework the Swietokrzyskie Office has started the process of regional network creation; the local network was given the name of Culinary Heritage of Swietokrzyskie. At present the Culinary Heritage of Swietokrzyskie associates 55 entities; many others have already declared their will to join in. These are farms, fish and agro-tourism farms, producers of traditional, regional and ecological food and also restaurants which serve much more than the traditional and regional dishes - innovative dishes based on local products are also in the menu here. The general idea of the network may boil down to a brief slogan: “Tasty, healthy, regional”.

More information on the Culinary Heritage of Swietokrzyskie is available at the Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship Self-Government’s website www.sejmik.kielce.pl in the Culinary Heritage of Swietokrzyskie tab as well as at the website of the European Network of Regional Culinary Heritage www.culinary-heritage.com.