logo logo

Agerpres – National News Agency: Current news with reliable information for a well-informed society.

Bucharest

Piaţa Presei Libere nr. 1, sector 1

Phone: +4 021.2076.110; +4 021.2076.105

[email protected]

Prince Charles visits Viscri village, meets small producers, tastes homestead foods

Imagine din galeria Agerpres

Prince Charles visited this Thursday the seat of his namesake foundation in the Transylvanian village of Viscri, accommodated in a house dating back to 1700. Here he met with farmers and artisanal food producers with whom he conversed about ingredients, recipes and marketing methods, as well as the problems they face.

The focus of the visit was the meeting with 30 farmers and producers, as well as with former rowing celebrity Ivan Patzaichin, who is also the founder of the ''Mila 23'' charity that supports the Danube Delta heritage, gastronomy and tourism.

The Prince tasted the products on display, including palinka, pork sausages, homemade bread, cheese, carp pastrami. As he stepped in the barn on the house grounds, Prince Charles was welcomed with café-concert music played by the Intermezzo quartet of Sibiu.

After visiting a newly refurbished room and the room he uses as his own rustic overnight retreat, His Royal Highness went on to meet the small producers and farmers.

At the stand with pork products made with meat of the Mangalitsa and Bazna breeds, the Prince said he was glad the two breeds were discovered.

He tasted the sausages, inquired about the spices added to the mix and about the manufacturing process, asking also about the roast bacon nuggets spread on display.

So that's good cholesterol, he remarked laughingly.

He also took a bite of the crustless homemade bread, finding it's special and praising its freshness.

At the vegetable oils stand, the Price inquired about the way the small business had started and how the producers manage to market their products.

It takes time [to make it to good online sales], he remarked, telling the producer that he obviously is very busy at retirement.

The Prince also had a laid back conversation with Ivan Patzaichin, who told him that on September 8 six boats representing the Romanian provinces will cross the Thames in tribute to Romania's Centennial.

This autumn, in September we will be on the Thames, Patzaichin told the Prince, who wished everyone success in this endeavor, assuring them he will think of them.

Prince Charles also wanted to know if increasingly more tourists are coming to the Danube Delta.

Yes, but the problem is that higher tourist numbers do not necessarily mean good and sustainable methods. The goal is to find the balance between tourists and conservation, remarked someone at the fish stand.

His Royal Highness recalled having recently read a book written between 1920 and 1930 by an Englishman who had visited Romania and who shared his enjoyment at finding here the most delicious food.

Prince Charles was also curious to know whether former Olympic champion Ivan Patzaichin is still training, asking whether he works out all the time, if his diet consists mainly of fish and if he has problems with his back.

Patzaichin admitted having back issues sometimes, but said that he has a good massage therapist.

The carp pastrami on display at Ivan Patzaichin's stand caught the eye of the high British guest.

Just try it! Courage!, Patzaichin invited him.

The former Olympic champion offered the Prince an album of his native village Mila 23. It's a thank-you for what you are doing for Romania. These are true stories rendered as comics, Patzaichin said.

During the visit the Prince wore a tiny carnation on the lapel of his coat. At the end of the visit he also engaged in conversation with a group of German tourists.

He said his German wasn't that good, but we understood him very well. He told us how beautiful the local scenery, how he loves it and that he feels extraordinarily. He is very jolly, open, not at all aloof, one of the tourists related.

The array of products on display on the occasion of Prince Charles's visit were: blackberry sauce, cold pressed oils, sausages, pastrami, palinka, honey, sourdough bread decorated with turmeric and paprika, dough cake, fish products, cornel berry, elderberry and rhubarb jam, rose petal jelly, compotes, cheese and fruit juices.

Executive Director of The Prince of Wales's Foundation Aura Woodward said the purpose of Prince Charles's meeting with the small producers and farmers was to highlight the potential of Romanian agriculture.

"In the past year The Prince of Wales's Foundation has conducted a survey in five historical regions of the country to identify healthy foods and products. They come from Transylvania, Bucovina, the Danube Delta, Maramures and Banat. (...) The purpose of the meeting is to highlight the potential of Romanian agriculture. There are 9 million living in Romania's rural areas, many of them in poverty or on the brink of poverty, and through the foundation we are trying to find programs to help them develop small businesses, create jobs, and of course the farmers are an important segment," Woodward said.

Last year, The Prince of Wales's Foundation Romania started, in partnership with the Slow Food Association and the Romania 100 Platform, a project to identify all natural product manufacturers in Romania.

To this end, foundation representatives met with more than 200 farmers and producers from Transylvania, the Danube Delta, Bucovina, Maramures and Banat and succeeded in identifying around 70 top quality, nature-friendly products that include cheeses, honey, fish products, cold pressed oils, organic drinks. Two pig breeds that are renowned for the high quality meat and fat they produce were also identified: Mangalitsa and Bazna.

The Prince of Wales Foundation Romania was created three years ago. The organization supports the preservation of cultural heritage, agriculture and sustainable development. Each year, the foundation offers training courses for the restoration of historic buildings, the revitalization of old crafts and stimulation of small businesses.

The foundation is headquartered in a house dating from 1700, which has been transformed into a training center and boarding house. The old barn of the building was turned into a reading room and café. The house is open to tourists for a limited period of time.

The Prince of Wales Foundation is based in the village of Viscri, Brasov County, which is a UNESCO heritage site. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)

Display count: 12

The content of the www.agerpres.ro website has the exclusive purpose of public informing.
All the information published on this website by AGERPRES is protected by relevant legal dispositions.
It is forbidden to copy, reproduce, recompile, decompile, distribute, publish, display, modify, create derived components or products or full services, as well as any exploitation of the site's content.
Details in the section Terms of Use. If you are interested in picking up AGERPRES news items, please contact the Marketing Department – [email protected].
The use of the Comments section entails your obligation to respect the AGERPRES terms and conditions in regards to the publishing of comments on the www.agerpres.ro.


Other news in category

English 01-04-2025 08:44

Senate's Abrudean in Paris: Romania's accession to OECD remains national strategic project

Senate Interim President Mircea Abrudean, who is on an official visit to Paris on Monday and Tuesday, said that Romania's accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) remains a national strategic project. According to a Senate press release sent to AGERPRES, the Romanian official had meetings with the French Senate Preside

English 31-03-2025 14:07

European Business Women's Confederation PEFA to launch first Women's Entrepreneurship index in Romania

The European Business Women's Confederation, PEFA, will launch for the first time in Romania, on May 20, at the Government, in collaboration with the Department for Sustainable Development, the Women's Entrepreneurship Index, an indicator that will show the impact that female entrepreneurship has on the world economy today, the head of PEFA Romania, Andreea Negru, in

English 31-03-2025 12:51

The only gold refinery in Romania to deliver gold bars worth 10 M euros in 2025

The only gold refinery in Romania, Rafinor, will deliver in 2025 to the Magnor holding, which also has Romanian shareholders, investment gold bars worth 10 million euros, following a strategic partnership concluded between the two companies, according to a press release from Rafinor sent to AGERPRES on Monday. The strategic partnership aims to facilitate the a

English 31-03-2025 12:51

BNR's Marinescu: Attraction and timely use of European funds, one of the developments closely monitored

One of the developments closely monitored by the National Bank of Romania is the attraction and timely use of European funds, National Bank of Romania (BNR) Deputy Governor Cosmin Marinescu told a specialist event on Monday. 'We face a complex path marked by the challenge of balancing green objectives related to the energy transition with energy security a

English 31-03-2025 10:59

'Picturesque Romania' Rally aims to promote agritourism, rural cultural heritage amoung youth and tourists

Rescuing Romanian villages from the demographic decline that has been increasingly accentuated in recent years and reconnecting young people with the values, traditions and authentic tastes of Romania's rural areas are among the objectives of a courageous and innovative initiative that is taking shape: the 'Picturesque Romania' Rally, says Ionut Diaconeasa, advis

English 31-03-2025 10:54

Over two thousand Romanian and foreign soldiers to participate in the Sea Shield drill in Constanta

Bucharest, Mar 31 /Agerpres/ - The opening ceremony of the multinational exercise Sea Shield, in which over 2,300 Romanian soldiers and from 11 other partner states are set to participate, takes place on Monday in the Port of Constanta, the Naval Forces General Staff (SMFN) informs. The military exercise, which is the most complex training event organized by t

English 31-03-2025 09:46

Tennis: Jaqueline Cristian wins WTA 125 tournament in Puerto Vallarta

Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian won the WTA 125 tournament in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), with a total prize pool of USD 115,000, on Sunday, after defeating Czech Linda Fruhvirtova 7-5, 6-4 in the final. Jaqueline Cristian (26 years old, world No. 72), the top seed, triumphed after two hours and 13 minutes, in her first match against Fruhvirtova (19 ye

English 28-03-2025 17:20

Charley Ottley: Cultural tourism is the future for areas like Horezu and Costesti

British journalist and film producer Charley Ottley still believes in the chance of 'Oltenia de sub Munte' region to become a UNESCO geopark, even if some mayors in the area have opposed this project initiated by the Kogayon Association. The British journalist has taken on the role of ambassador of the area and promotes it as a tourist destination

English 28-03-2025 14:56

Romanian satellite CORVUS designed to detect, localize radio interference sources on national territory, presented on Friday

Romanian satellite CORVUS designed to detect and localize radio interference sources on Romanian territory, as well as the ground infrastructure, was presented on Friday, along with the main results obtained from the research carried out. 'The event took place in the presence of Mr. Tudor Prisecaru, vice-president of the National Authority for Research - A

English 28-03-2025 13:46

Save the Children study: Almost half of children spend over 6 hours/day in the digital environment

The age range at which children use social media has decreased to 5-10 years, and almost half of children (48.3%) spend more than 6 hours a day in the digital environment, according to a study by Save the Children Romania. According to the 2025 study by Save the Children Romania, almost half of children (48.3%) spend more than 6 hours a day in the digital envi

English 28-03-2025 13:09

'Corruption Kills': red hand Balkan protests shake the EU's backyard (enr)

Brussels, March 28 /Agerpres/ - Protests have erupted across the Balkans, fueled by deadly disasters linked to corruption. From Serbia to North Macedonia, young people are taking to the streets, demanding accountability in a region where aspirations to join the European Union clash with entrenched graft. Massive student-led anti-corruption protests have spread

English 28-03-2025 13:03

IntMin Predoiu: We need to find formula to communicate the U.S. we share the same values

The Romanian authorities must find the best way to communicate to the U.S. administration that the Romanian nation and political class continue to share the same values promoted by the United States, and that strategic projects can be developed in the bilateral economic relation to the benefit of both countries, said Deputy Prime Minister Catalin Predoiu, Minister of the Int

English 28-03-2025 10:38

PM Ciolacu: Gov't's number one priority is PNRR and then to conduct an administrative-territorial reorganisation

The number one priority of the Government right now is to implement the PNRR [National Recovery and Resilience Plan], while the next step should be to conduct a reorganisation of the administrative-territorial level and a reform of the budgetary system, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu stated on Friday. The head of the Executive participates, on Friday, in the Ge

English 28-03-2025 10:21

Romania and Australia discuss collaboration opportunities in research and technology transfer

Romania and Australia have identified opportunities for collaboration in the field of research and technology transfer, with a common interest in advanced digital solutions, according to a press release sent by the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics - ICI Bucharest to AGERPRES on Friday. A delegation made of Tim Dillon, Agent-Genera

English 28-03-2025 09:33

Longest summer toboggan track in Romania to be opened in Sinaia, on August 1

The longest summer toboggan track in Romania will be opened in Sinaia, most likely on August 1, on an investment of 12 million lei, announced Sinaia Urban Transport company director general Maria Floricica. 'Winter tourism was good for Sinaia this season. It's true that, from year to year, the snow seems to melt faster, there seems to be less snowfall,