The campaign, which begins on 20 September and ends on 6 October, includes a wide variety of proposals spread throughout the Valencia Region.The participating establishments offer a complete lunch, made with local produce and accompanied by the usual sharing items. Through RRSS, you can compete to win a Gastroalmuerzos poster signed by Lawerta, as well as a free family lunch. The Valencia Region Hotel and Tourism Confederation (CONHOSTUR), together with Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, continues to grow in terms of gastronomic events. A new event has now been added to its annual calendar: the first edition of Gastroalmuerzos, an active initiative from 20 September to 6 October, which vindicates the importance of eating in all the regions of the autonomous region, whether rural or urban. Because it is not only a culture, but a manifestation of the richness and uniqueness of our gastronomy.

More than 70 establishments in the three provinces have joined the campaign, presenting a wide range of proposals, but always based on local produce. These include a full lunch, a speciality of the house, with the usual sharing items. In addition to the sandwiches, snacks, toasts and mixed dishes, there are the cacaus del collaret, pickles and salads, not forgetting the traditional cremaet and the carajillo. All this, with prices between 8 and 11 euros, depending on the bar or restaurant chosen, to make it accessible to everyone. The participants can already be consulted on the navigable map on the website.

In the words of Manuel Espinar, president of CONHOSTUR: “Transforming a popular product such as lunch, as we know it in our region, into a gastronomic product, is a challenge that we think is in keeping with the trend that this lunch culture is taking hold in many of the establishments in the Valencia Region”.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Cristina Moreno, also wanted to express the commitment of the Generalitat to this gastronomic product, “through the brand l’Exquisit Mediterrani and its promotion as a differentiating element of our destination”. At the press conference during which the action was presented at the Bar Nuevo Oslo, which was also attended by the journalist and lunch promoter Paco Alonso, a collaborator of the CONHOSTUR campaign, it was emphasised how much l’esmorzar “identifies us as a society and appeals to our roots and our identity as Valencians”. In the end, it is a way of inviting diners to go back to the bar of a lifetime, even when the school year begins and they return to their routines. Because you can always make time to enjoy one or more gastro-meals, especially considering that there are several prizes up for grabs, with two competitions running through the RRSS.

We are talking about two unique proposals to accompany the action in the virtual world. On the one hand, the first people to photograph and share on their social media profiles any of the Gastroalmuerzos posters, designed by none other than Lawerta, will be eligible to win an exclusive poster of the campaign signed by the illustrator. It will be important to pay attention when walking around València, as they will be printed on the walls of different neighbourhoods in the city. Secondly, the three people who post the most images on Instagram or Facebook of the lunches they enjoy these days, using the hashtag #Gastroalmuerzos, will win one last lunch with a companion.

The proposals

The province of Valencia has 32 options for lunch in this first edition of Gastroalmuerzos, spread across the neighbourhoods and municipalities of Ciutat Vella, l’Eixample, Extramurs, Campanar, Quatre Carreres, El Pla del Reial, Cullera, Algemesí, Gandia, Paterna, Burjassot and La Pobla de Farnals. There you can find classics such as the Nuevo Oslo bar, Doña Petrona, Bar Marvi, Bergamonte or Bar Kramer, among other temples for lunch lovers. Sandwiches such as meatballs with potatoes from Bar Mistela, horsemeat with tender garlic from La Mar Salà or coca de aceite with onion confit and Mediterranean sardines from Bar Cosmo are tempting appetisers.

Meanwhile, in Castellón and Alicante, 15 and 26 establishments have joined the campaign, respectively, including proposals such as the classic bocata de calamares a la romana from Bar Mónaco, the figatells from Bar Magallanes -both bars located in the province of Alicante-, or the traditional blanc i negre and the very Valencian Almussafes from Hotel Restaurante Viñas Viejas -the latter, in the province of Castellón-.

As not everything is going to be sandwiches or “cocas”, there is also the possibility of trying combined dishes and even “tostas”, depending on the establishment chosen. Options to suit all tastes, making lunch a culture open to anyone who is willing to enjoy good produce, whether early in the morning or mid-morning. In this sense, dishes such as ‘El Montañés’, from the tasca La Terreta (Castellón), which includes torreznos de Soria, green pepper, potatoes and egg; or the special toast from ¡Oye, tú! (Alicante), made with sourdough bread, ratatouille with vegetables, semi-baked Serrano ham, low-temperature egg and caramelised black olives. It doesn’t sound bad.

 Eating is a prize

We’ve been announcing it: now, there’s a prize for eating snacks. Although it can only be achieved if we merge the real world with the virtual one, through two initiatives that are born from the first edition of Gastroalmuerzos, and that will work through social networks. How? The first one consists of photographing the posters of the campaign that will be distributed around Valencia. The fastest to upload the content to Instagram or Facebook – tagging @conhostur and @fehvhosteleria, together with the hashtag #Gastroalmuerzos – will win an exclusive print signed by Lawerta, the campaign’s illustrator.

The second prize, also virtual, will be to award a free double lunch to the three people who generate the most posts or stories on their profiles during the campaign, from 20 September to 6 October. As requirements, the publications must contain a tag to the official RRSS accounts (@conhostur and @fehvhosteleria), as well as the hashtag #Gastroalmuerzos, while the participant must follow @gvaturisme. Of course, we are talking about photographs enjoying the proposals of the contest.

This new bid to turn ‘l’esmorzar valencià’ into a citizen symbol is here to stay. And the fact is that, although lunch began as a country custom, after hours of working under the sun, it is now a sacred ritual among the urban population as well, which makes us unique and singular. We are proud of a habit that tourists are beginning to become familiar with, as it is a particular expression of our culture. And what else is the gastronomy and catering of a territory? Without a doubt, lunch is, for many, the most sought-after meal of the day.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

More info: https://gastroalmuerzos.com/