On December 5, the Palace of Stocks (Palais De La Bourse) of Marseille hosted the annual Tastes of the World event where the Armenian pavilion was also represented under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Marseille. The event was organized by the World Trade Center of Marseille-Provence and the Unions of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Two-Way Business Clubs (l’UCCCAB) and gathered the consulates general of over 30 countries presenting the peculiarities of the national cuisines of their respective countries, as well as the traditions and innovations in the spheres of agriculture and winemaking.
The motto for this year’s event was sports due to the fact that Marseille will be declared as the capital of sports in Europe in 2017 and that Paris is nominated to be the venue for the Olympic Games in 2024.
RA Consul Samvel Lalayan and President of the French-Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bernard Hademian solemnly opened the Armenian pavilion, which showcased Armenia’s wines, brandies and other drinks, teas and tinctures made from natural herbs grown in the Armenian highlands, Armenian jams, as well as national appetizers made by chefs of Armenian restaurants. Visitors were treated to Armenian alcoholic drinks by Best Sommelier of the Year 2008 in France Serge Ghugasian.
Taking into consideration the fact that sports was the motto for the event, mountaineer Ara Khachadourian (Khachadourian reached the peak of Mount Everest) and members of “Artsiv” (Eagle) Sport Club also participated in the event.
The Armenian pavilion sparked great interest and was warmly received by the visitors.