THE LOOKOUT | Tordo Gastronomic Festival in Monsanto is unique nationwide

7th edition of the Tordo Gastronomic Festival is the result of a partnership between the Amateur Hunting and Fishing Club of Monsanto, the Festival Committee and the Parish Council of Monsanto, municipality of Alcanena

The Monsanto Parish Council, Alcanena municipality, in partnership with the Monsanto Amateur Hunting and Fishing Club and the Festivals Committee, organized another edition of the Tordo Gastronomic Festival. MIRANTE spoke with Vasco Martins, president of the association, who does not hide his desire to bring people back into associations in the parish.

The Tordo Gastronomic Festival, in Monsanto, municipality of Alcanena, is a reference for its promotion of the parish’s local products, making it a unique festival at a national level. Monsanto has been registered as the Capital do Tordo parish since January 16, 2019, at INPI – National Institute of Industrial Property, and the initiative was the starting point for us to meet with Vasco Martins, president of the Clube Amador de Caça e Pesca de Monsanto, an association which is part of the organization, in partnership with the Monsanto Parish Council and the Festivities Committee.
The Mockingbird Festival, which took place on the 16th and 17th of March, at the Monsanto Market, was attended by more than half a thousand people. In addition to wild boar and deer meat, more than 1,200 robins were served throughout the event. The festival, according to the president of the association, began as a way to bring together the region’s various hunters in the parish which, according to Vasco Martins, “is an extraordinary area for hunting robins”. For the president of the association, the Festival values ​​tourism and the region’s characteristics.
Preparation begins with the hunt at the beginning of February and several robins are offered to the club for lunch. Two days before each event, around a dozen people, including members of the board and the club, begin preparing the space and all the logistics. During the festival, around 30 people volunteer to help. This year, the proceeds from the event will go to the Monsanto Amateur Hunting and Fishing Club, helping to repair the roof of the headquarters. “The roof of our headquarters is damaged and it rains inside as if we were outside. On rainy days we are forced to resort to other places to meet and, often, we have to borrow spaces. It doesn’t make sense since the space belongs to the club and it will be a great help to resolve this situation”, says Vasco Martins.

Overcoming difficulties
Various difficulties, mainly in the processes of renewing the hunting zone concession, were the scenario that Vasco Martins encountered at the Clube Amador de Caça e Pesca de Monsanto when he assumed the presidency nine months ago. The club was suspended throughout the season and only managed to return to hunting at the beginning of 2024. Vasco Martins explains that the fact that the club is integrated into the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natura Park brings advantages, but also some limitations. “It is a very bureaucratic process because it is an area with thousands of hectares and thousands of owners. It is necessary to identify people and get in touch so that we can comply with the law and the authorization to manage the area as an orderly piece of land,” he explains.
Currently 63 years old, Vasco Martins grew up between Lisbon and Monsanto. Soon after the association was founded he became a member, but in the meantime left the club when he moved away from the land. After retirement, he returned to Monsanto and the club, becoming president in 2023. The management’s main focus is to resolve the concession process to return to the hunting competition next season and only then will they admit to thinking about future projects. The return of fishing to the club is one of the ambitions despite the activities being designed to be fun and convivial and not for competition.