From Naval Diplomacy to Olive Oil Chocolate: An Unusual Evening Aboard “Mircea”
More than 40 officials and representatives of the local community were expected to attend a unique dinner organized aboard the Romanian sailing ship by the Embassy of Romania in Greece. The highlight of the evening was an olive oil tasting paired with chocolate.
The Romanian Navy’s training ship “Mircea” docked at the port of Souda as part of this year’s international training voyage, following a four-year break since its last visit to Crete.
The return of the “Mircea” to Souda is more than just a regular port call. For several days, the ship has become a meeting place for Romanian representatives and the local community, bringing together diplomacy, maritime traditions and gastronomy in an event built around the idea of strengthening ties between the two countries.
The sailing ship was welcomed by the Ambassador of Romania to the Hellenic Republic, Carmen-Ileana Mihălcescu, together with members of the diplomatic mission and representatives of the local community.
The ship’s return to Crete holds particular significance for the Romanian community on the island. During the port call, the decks of “Mircea” were opened to visitors, welcoming both Romanians living in Greece and local residents curious to discover one of the best-known vessels of the Romanian Naval Forces.
One of the highlights of the visit was an official dinner hosted aboard the ship, with more than 40 guests expected from the local administration and community, civilian and military representatives, members of the Romanian community in Crete, and the ship’s crew.
Although olive oil is naturally an integral part of local gastronomic culture, guests were invited to look at it from a less conventional perspective.
David Filipaș of D’Olive, the world’s youngest olive oil sommelier, led a tasting session in which olive oil was paired with chocolate — a combination that surprised some of the participants. For an audience familiar with olive oil, pairing it with a sweet product offered a new perspective on the ingredient and highlighted its versatility.
“We wanted this gathering to be more than just a tasting. Olive oil is a language that Greeks know very well, which is precisely why we chose to offer them something unexpected. The combination with chocolate sparked curiosity and, in many cases, surprise. For us, this is the beauty of a gastronomic experience: starting with something familiar and allowing people to discover it in an entirely new way. The fact that this experience is taking place aboard ‘Mircea’, in Crete, gives it a special significance,” said Cosmin Filipas, CEO of D’Olive.
The idea is particularly interesting in a place such as Crete, where the olive tree and olive oil are deeply connected to the island’s identity. The tasting opened a conversation about two cultures that share strong culinary traditions.
The evening was part of the series of representational activities associated with the ship’s port call and reflected the concept of “naval diplomacy,” through which naval vessels become, during international visits, spaces for meetings and dialogue between communities and institutions.
During the port call, “Mircea” has already been open to visitors. Numerous Romanians living in Crete, as well as local residents, came aboard to discover the ship and the traditions of the Romanian Naval Forces.
The frigate “Regele Ferdinand” (F-221) is also currently stationed in the same port, with members of its crew taking part in representational activities.
“Mircea” will remain in Souda until Tuesday morning, September 8, when it will continue its international training voyage.
For Romania, the stop in Crete means more than simply another port of call on a naval training voyage. It represents a meeting of people, institutions and traditions — and this time, one of the stories that remained in the guests’ memories began with a seemingly simple yet unexpected combination: olive oil and chocolate, tasted aboard a Romanian sailing ship.
On the same day, in Thessaloniki, Romania was also part of another important regional event: the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the expansion of the Vertical Gas Corridor towards the Western Balkans, through the inclusion of the transmission system operators of Serbia and North Macedonia.
The memorandum marks an expansion of regional cooperation in the energy sector and strengthens Romania’s role in developing strategic gas infrastructure in Southeastern Europe.
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