12th Edition of the Hammamet Citrus Festival: A Celebration of Local Citrus Heritage
The 12th edition of the Hammamet Citrus Festival took place on February 7 and 8, under the gray and threatening sky, at the foot of the Medina Fort in this seaside town. The festival, organized by the local section of the Association for Environmental Education (Aere-Hammamet), brought together about 40 artisans who showcased their local products, including jams, marmalades, jellies, hydrolats of bitter orange blossoms, citrus ice creams, orange chips, and traditional Tunisian "baissa" (a mixture of roasted and ground cereals and legumes, seasoned with spices).
A Must-Attend Event for Artisans
"This has become a must-attend event for culinary artisans and small producers in the region," said Rania Mansour, a renowned artisan known for her certified jams and floral waters. "The festival's location at the foot of the Hammamet Fort, right in front of the corniche, in the hyper-center of the city, is a major advantage. The presence of a main alley allowing visitors to move from one tent to another offers great visibility for our products."
Amira Makhlouf, president of the Maâmoura Agricultural Development Group (GDA), which participated in the festival for the second consecutive year with its products under the label "Nokhet el-jdoud" (Flavors of Our Ancestors), shared the same sentiment. "In addition to my concept of dried orange chips (thin slices of maltaise oranges, 3-5 mm thick, dehydrated in a low-temperature oven to obtain crispy slices), ideal for healthy snacks, decorating desserts, cocktails, or garlands, I take advantage of this opportunity to showcase my varieties of 'bsissa', particularly the one with dried fruits: my best-seller."
A Celebration of Local Products and Traditions
The festival featured a wide range of local products, including artisanal goods (embroidery, fake jewelry, pottery, etc.), as well as various animation sections (pottery and drawing workshops for children) and musical performances: a "soulamiya" (liturgical chant) troupe, a sympathetic performance by young ballerinas from Hammamet, a mini-concert by singer Rayen Youssef, a Tunisian folklore show, and another performed by the "Ashab el-Baroud" group.
Threats to Local Citrus Heritage
The festival also aimed to raise awareness about the dangers threatening the citrus groves in Hammamet, faced with rapid urbanization and a increasingly brackish water table. "The citrus heritage of Hammamet is an essential component of the local identity, which must be preserved and valued. However, irrigated arboriculture is today strongly threatened by the intensive development of tourism and urbanism, land speculation, land fragmentation, water conflicts, lack of citizen awareness, and the weakness or absence of public action," emphasized Dr. Salem Sahli, president of Aere-Hammamet.
The Festival's Mission
"The festival was born in this context, thanks to the Remee project (Rediscovering the Memories of Water in the Mediterranean), funded by the Euromed Heritage IV program of the European Union. It's not about freezing or sanctifying a heritage, but rather about reviving it without nostalgia and removing it from the 'shadow of insignificance' that risks throwing it definitively into oblivion. The challenge is to make the citrus heritage of Hammamet live, to live from this heritage, and to give it back its nobility," added Dr. Sahli.
Health Awareness
The organizers also set up a tent dedicated to diabetes screening (blood sugar measurement) in the presence of doctors and nutritionists, providing dietary advice (such as adopting a balanced diet) and tips to strengthen the immune system through good hygiene and lifestyle habits to prevent and protect against this public health problem. "When we talk about citrus or processed products, we talk about sugar. We couldn't organize such an event without an awareness campaign around diabetes and the risks of sugary products, especially citrus jams and marmalades, on health. The proverb says: Prevention is better than cure," concluded Dr. Salem Sahli, a retired pediatrician.
Read more: Hammamet - 12th edition of the Citrus Festival: Local Citrus Heritage in Celebration!
