In late January, NWA joined partners from Denmark, Greece, and Italy on the island of Syros for the Forgotten Fish project’s second implementation meeting – two days that brought together chefs, fishermen, cultural organisations, local authorities, and educators around a shared question: what would it take for the fish we have stopped cooking to return to our tables?

The meeting was hosted by the Lazareta Cultural Association in Hermoupolis, the beautifully preserved neoclassical port capital of Syros. It was a fitting location. The Cyclades, with their rich Mediterranean marine biodiversity and their tradition of simple, resourceful coastal cooking, offer exactly the kind of living laboratory that the Forgotten Fish project needs.

The programme moved fluidly between the strategic and the sensory. Partners coordinated project progress across the three countries, watched video presentations from each partner community, and sat down to lunch with local fishermen over dishes prepared from species that rarely see a restaurant plate. Chef Dimitris Plitas led a demonstration with the Syros Gastronomy Association in the afternoon, showing how forgotten species can be transformed into dishes that meet the highest contemporary standards without losing their connection to place and tradition. The second day brought a visit to the fish market in Hermoupolis, a meeting with the Municipality of Syros, traditional sweet-making demonstrations, and an evening cooking session at Peritinos Restaurant.

For NWA, Syros was a vivid reminder of why the transnational dimension of this project matters. The knowledge flows in all directions: Greek culinary heritage informing Danish kitchen practice, Danish policy analysis supporting Greek and Italian advocacy, Italian survey depth grounding shared recommendations. The best arguments for sustainable food, it turns out, are still made through flavour.

The Forgotten Fish project is an Erasmus+ KA210-VET Small-Scale Partnership (2024-1-DK01-KA210-VET-000253675), co-funded by the European Union.