The European Region of Gastronomy is a title given every year to one or more cities or regions in Europe. The title is awarded by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT).
For the year 2026, the title was awarded to the regions of Crete (Greece) and Kvarner (Croatia), highlighting their commitment to sustainable tourism and local food heritage.
Goals
The goal of the project is to contribute to the better quality of life by: raising awareness about the importance of cultural and food uniqueness stimulating creativity and gastronomic innovation educating for better nutrition improving sustainable tourism standards highlighting distinctive food cultures strengthening community well-being and supporting local SMEs
List of European Regions of Gastronomy
+European Regions of Gastronomy Year City/Region Country Notes Links 2016 Minho Minho 2016 Catalonia Catalonia 20162017 Riga, Gauja Riga-Gauja 2017 East Lombardy East Lombardy 2017 Aarhus, Central Denmark Aarhus-Central Denmark 20172018 North Brabant North Brabant 2018 Galway, Western Ireland Galway was also named the European Capital of Culture for 2020 Galway-West of Ireland 2018 2019 Sibiu The Transylvanian town was also the European Capital of Culture in 2007 Sibiu 2019 South Aegean South Aegean 2019 2020 Kuopio Also counts for 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic Kuopio 2020-20212021 Coimbra Also counts for 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic Coimbra 2021 Slovenia The only country to have been included as a whole so far Slovenia 20212022 Trondheim, Trøndelag Trondheim-Trøndelag 2022 Menorca Menorca 2022 2023 Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France 2023 2024 Saimaa lake region Saimaa 20242025SicilySicily 20252026CreteCrete 2026KvarnerKvarner 2026
See also European Capital of Culture European Youth Capital European Green Capital Award
References