The Festival da Caldeirada e do Mar is back for its 24^th edition between May 26 and 28, with fourteen participating restaurants.

Armação de Pêra’s popular seafood stew festival returns on May 26, 27 and 28. The 24th edition of the Festival da Caldeirada e do Mar is an initiative promoted by the Municipality of Silves, which this year will feature fourteen participating restaurants.

During the three-day event, each establishment will use fresh flavours from the sea to highlight seafood stew recipes, an emblematic dish of the fishing village, deeply rooted in its gastronomic tradition.

«O Silvense», «A Grelha», «Estrela-do-mar», «Ingredients», «O Fernando», «O Serol», «Olivalmar», «Pelintra», «Praia com Tempero», «Tasca’lado», «Restaurant da Néné», «Churrasqueira O Balbino», «Churrasqueira O Casarão» and «Marisqueira Hera» are the participating establishments, which together will present over two dozen caldeiradas, putting the seafood stew in the spotlight.

The weekend celebrations will therefore be dedicated to maritime gastronomy and the freshest products from the sea. The caldeirada dishes will be paired with regional wine from the Silves region and other star products of the municipality, such as desserts made with Silves oranges.

As is tradition, the public presentation of the event will take place at Armação de Pêra’s Municipal Market on May 26 at 11h00. The opening ceremony will feature musical entertainment with Filipe Romão, who will play the accordion, the Algarve’s most traditional instrument.

There will also be a display of wooden boats handmade by Casimiro Prudêncio. Born in Armação de Pêra, the artist learned the art of carving cork boats from his father as a child during the tuna fishing season on Faro Island. This craft was practised on windy days when it was impossible to go to sea.

Over the years, Casimiro Prudêncio perfected his art and started using wood instead of cork to make accurate replicas of the original fishing boats, both in terms of structure and colours.

Further information on the Festival can be found here.