Taste of CovasnaNational Potato Festival · 2026
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I

The Gastronomy of the Potato

The heart of the festival. Where the potato passes through the fire of chefs and the traditions of two cultures.

Show cookingStreet foodContestsTastingsFood court
Pillar I · Gastronomy · Gábor Áron Square
Three days in which the potato becomes the pretext for a national conversation about cuisine. Local chefs, local restaurants and two major contests.
Ch. I · Tradition
I.

Tradition

Local cuisine.

Potato gulyás, paprikás krumpli, polenta with cheese and jacket potatoes — dishes passed down through generations. At the festival, they return to open fire, in the hands of local cooks and partner chefs.

Local restaurants sign the traditional menu of the 2026 edition.

Ch. II · Reinterpretation
II.

Reinterpretation

The contemporary potato.

Young chefs reinvent the potato with contemporary techniques: gnocchi with Cernat cheese, baked potato espuma, cold terrine with smoked paprika. The lunchtime show cooking presents, each day, a different chapter.

Local chefs, national guests — 15 demonstrations across three days.

Ch. III · The Contests
III.

The Contests

Two national competitions.

"Best Traditional Recipe" opens the programme on Friday. "Most Innovative Recipe" closes it on Saturday. Amateur and professional chefs compete for the title of Recipe of the Year 2026.

Mixed jury — chefs, farmers, food journalists. Prizes announced at the closing gala.

5chefs
Local invited chefs
30+
Food court stands
2
National contests
80+
Recipes in contest
№ 01

Show cooking

Live demonstrations with local chefs and national guests, centred on a single ingredient: the potato.

№ 02

National contest — traditional recipe

Amateur and professional chefs compete for the title of "Recipe of the Year 2026" with a mixed jury.

№ 03

Contest — innovative recipe

Contemporary reinterpretations of the potato, judged by a jury of Romanian and international chefs.

№ 04

Food court · 30 stands

Restaurants, households and small producers with short menus and tastings dedicated to the potato.

№ 05

Themed tastings

Spirits, wine, cheese and bread — guided tastings with producers from Covasna and the Carpathian region.

№ 06

Children's workshop

From seed to table — children discover where food comes from, through touch, taste and play.