Before the first international gastronomic festival in Kaliningrad"Street food weekend" just over a month left. Recall that it will take place on August 23. In the meantime, “Restaurants of New Kaliningrad. Ru” and the organizers of the festival have prepared for you a large selection of the most famous gastronomic festivals in Europe and Russia. In our first review, you will find out which festival only Michelin laureates can participate in, where the onion queen is chosen, where to go dressed up in a futuristic outfit to try molecular cuisine, and which two Moscow food festivals you should definitely go to find out absolutely everything about Russian food and cuisine.
Where does it take place: Kunstragården Park (King's Garden), Stockholm, Sweden
When does it pass : first week of June
What is : an exhibition of achievements in the culinary arts, one of the most important and major events in Sweden. Every year at the beginning of June, hundreds of thousands of guests from all over the world flock to the King's Garden, united by a common interest - an interest in food. The Taste of Stockholm brings together the best chefs and the best restaurants in Stockholm, offering their signature dishes and drinks. During the festival week, you can try everything that Stockholm has to offer: from the most traditional Swedish dishes to exotic recipes from other parts of the world. A large role at the festival is given to environmentally friendly products, as well as such culinary approaches that allow you to take care of health and the environment. Anyone can become a participant in culinary competitions or a special tasting. As for the entertainment and “inedible” program, more than a hundred local artists exhibit their paintings at the “Taste of Stockholm”, there are concerts of performers working in various musical directions: jazz, rock, modern music and even medieval ballads.
Where does it take place : Helsinki, Finland
When does it pass : mid-March
What is : What it is: a street food festival in which the best chefs on the planet take part to feed the residents and guests of the Finnish capital. The festival is divided into three separate thematic parts: Talks, Eats and Parties. The organization of the first section of the festival is held on the basis of the popular exhibition Gastro Fair, in which several hundred specialists in the field of gastronomy, supporters of street food and just those who love such food participate. Editors of well-known culinary magazines, organizers of various fairs, as well as creators of famous restaurants speak at the event and share their experience. Entrance is free for everyone. The main event of the festival - "Food" - takes place in the center of Tori Quarters, located in the heart of the capital of Finland, which invites guests and residents of the city to appreciate the latest trends in world cuisines and the ingenuity of the best culinary specialists, whose specialization is closely related to street food. Visitors to the event will be provided with the best dishes prepared with the freshest ingredients in a unique creative atmosphere. Entrance to the final part of the street food festival in the Finnish capital is free.
Baltic herring festival
Location: Helsinki, Finland
When does it pass : early October
What is : a Finnish gastronomic celebration that takes place neatly at the end of the herring season. This is one of the oldest national northern holidays - the first "herring" festival was held in 1743. Every year more and more guests come to it. The fair takes place at the Market Square in Helsinki. Here you can find herring for every taste: salted, lightly salted, marinated, with various sauces... Well, besides fish at the festival, you should also buy original "hand-made" from Finnish artisans, for example, traditional Finnish woolen sweaters with ornaments, which are beautifully protect from autumn winds and winter cold.
Where does it take place : Moscow, Russia
What is : What is it: a street food festival and an open-air gastronomic party in one bottle. For the second year in a row, the creators of Russia's first dinner party club have been collecting the cream of Moscow's street food, opening up new territories and spaces. 20–25 of the most interesting participants street food movement in Moscow. To the accompaniment of DJs and street musicians, large courtyards and parks of the city turn into a cluster of trend-setters, representatives of creative industries, foodies and active citizens united by the desire to have a great Sunday evening, try something new and make new friends.
Where does it take place: Moscow, Russia
When does it pass: July
What is: the main domestic food festival in Russia from the most famous and respected food magazine. The Food Celebration brings together restaurateurs, farmers, critics and young food activists. Everyone in one day can appreciate all the most interesting things that happen in Russian cuisine. The last festival in Gorky Park featured 50 of the best restaurants in the city, a beginner gastro-enthusiast market, the best shops for tableware and related products, a farmer's market, and many areas for master classes. For those who didn’t get to the big “Food” this year, there is a second chance to still be in time: on the last Saturday of August in Kolomenskoye, the “Food” holiday will cover the glade for the “Picnic” of Afisha.
Where does it take place : Copenhagen, Denmark
When does it pass : in February of each year, lasts a whole month
What is : performances, field meetings, theatrical performances, master classes on innovative methods and developments, music concerts- all these entertaining and not very events are dedicated to food. The patron of the festival is Her Royal Majesty Princess Mary. main feature Copenhagen Cooking is about treating food and cooking as an art. Thanks to all sorts of theatrical performances, festival guests will be able to look at the decoration of the most ordinary dishes in a different way. Chefs create real products from products architectural objects and installations. For example, everyone famous fairy tale Anderson " The Snow Queen» turns into a real gastronomic miracle. For those who love to eat in the right style and mood, the Copenhagen Food Festival offers theme nights. From a mafia-style evening with Sicilian and Mediterranean cuisine, to a Finnish party featuring only fish and pickled vegetables, to a futuristic party serving molecular cuisine. In this case, a special dress code is mandatory.
Onion Fair in Weimar
And when people realized that this activity is quite interesting, pleasant and useful, whole festivals dedicated to this "hobby" were born. We will tell about the most famous of them.
RoadKill Cook-Off Festival. Gourmets prefer steaks from the meat of rare animals or oysters, and here those who like dishes for animals killed on the roads gather. The festival even hosts competitions in the art of cooking. As a result, guests can taste unique stews made from a raccoon or a possum that died under the wheels of a vehicle. rules annual event say that all participants must come here already with the corpse of an animal killed on the road. You also need to bring with you a set of dishes necessary for cooking and the ingredients corresponding to the future dish. The food is cooked in front of everyone, but it will be judged by a special jury. This also takes into account appearance dishes and their taste.
More recently, the organizers have introduced a new rule. Now the dishes from the dead animals should look as if these creatures were just pulled out from under the wheels of a killer car. The winner of the competition is awarded as much as 300 dollars as a prize. Those who could not come to the festival, but want to taste a dish from an animal that died on the road, can do this in a special institution. So, in the town of Seligman, Arizona, there is a cafe "Road Killers". There you can try the "Dead Deer" steak, grilled ribs called "Raccoon Trap" and even "Chicken that almost crossed the road."
Sony Pine Mushroom Festival. This event is held annually in South Korean Yangyang in September-October. Dormouse are local delicacies mushrooms. It is believed that they are inferior in quality only to truffles. These mushrooms have chosen a pine forest on Mount Chilbosan. Its name translates as the mountain of seven wonders. The market price for the delicacy is quite high, up to $265 per kilo. It is not surprising that Sony was even nicknamed forest diamonds. When in 2007 the first meeting of the heads of South and North Korea took place in a long time, the politicians first discussed these mushrooms. Kim Jong Il even gave his colleague an expensive gift - as many as 4 tons of recently harvested pine dormouse. These mushrooms can be found in autumn, at the same time a festival is held in Yangyang province in their honor.
Here you can try unique dishes based on these gifts of the forest, buy medicines, one of the components of which is Sonya. It must be said that mushrooms grow exclusively in natural conditions. It is impossible to collect them without a state license. Only once a year, tourists and locals get the right to pick unique Sonya mushrooms. But pleasure is not cheap. A walk with a basket through a beautiful forest in a state of "quiet hunting" will cost about 11 dollars for a child, and one and a half times more for an adult.
Every autumn, for three weekends, this festival is held in the Croatian towns of Lovran, Dobrech and Ligan. The word "maroon" itself has many meanings depending on the language. For example, in Jamaica, these are freedom fighters who fought against the English colonial invaders. And in Croatia, the word has a much more peaceful connotation. This is the name of the local ort of chestnuts, which is considered almost the best in the world. Once upon a time, local sailors brought unusual chestnuts from their eastern travels. They were then crossed with European varieties. This is how maroons were born.
These chestnuts gave their name to the festival, which has now been held annually for nearly 40 years. And the time of year for the celebration is not chosen by chance. After all, it is in autumn that chestnuts ripen, and it is time to collect them. Marunada starts in October. The first celebrations take place in the small town of Lovran, and the next weekend the festival breaks out in the villages of Dobrech and Ligan. The most interesting part of the festival is the tasting of maroons. Roasted chestnuts are most often cooked right under open sky and then sold in paper bags. Local chefs also learned how to add maroons to fish and meat, cook sauces and soups from them, and also prepare salads. Even sweets are prepared from chestnuts - at the festival there are sweets from them, mousses, cakes and even soufflés. After all, the Croatian poor learned how to extract maroon flour a long time ago, replacing it with the usual one.
You can get to this festival in Iceland either on the third Saturday of January or at the end of February. This gastronomic festival directly related to the Old Norse holiday. The month that we call January, the Vikings called Torri. At this time, they made their sacrifices to the gods, while the soldiers drank a lot, sang and walked. By tradition, the holiday was dedicated to the main god - Thor. And today, at Thorrablot Feast, they do not forget to dedicate a few words to this saint. The ancient festival was forgotten for a long time until Norwegian students decided to revive national tradition. It happened in late XIX century. Since then, festival guests have learned what real Viking cuisine really is. All over Iceland during the festival you can taste the food prepared according to old recipes. Its guests are happy to cook in many restaurants and small taverns.
True, such "wild" foods are not suitable for all pampered European stomachs. Few of the guests dare to try the mutton stomach with minced meat in the form of coagulated sheep blood and lard. And what about sheep brain jelly or pickled bull's eyes? But the real decoration of the festival is the already famous hakarl. This is slightly rotten shark meat, reminiscent of the taste of either squid or sturgeon. Only the smell of such a delicacy is very unpleasant. And such a dish costs as much as 100 euros. The fact that at the Torri festival all the treats are paid is not embarrassing - after all, brennyvin, local potato vodka, is attached to food for free.
If you love watermelons, then get ready to go to the Australian Chinchilla. The Chinchilla Melon festival is held here every two years. One of its oldest traditions commands all guests to come here in old shoes and clothes. But it's easy to explain. After all, during the days of the festival, all the streets of the town are literally strewn with watermelon pits and peels. So it can be quite difficult to keep balance and not get smeared in sweet juice. The first watermelon festival was held here in 1994. The celebration quickly became a kind of hallmark of the city. He himself is directly related to watermelons - a quarter of the total volume of the country is grown here. No wonder Chinchilla is called the watermelon capital of Australia.
This festival is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Tomatina, held in Spain. If in Europe residents destroy tons of tomatoes, then in Australia the guests declare a real war on watermelons for a while. There are even a number of competitions for breaking large berries. Watermelons are thrown into the ring, used as shoes, running a race. The highlight of the festival is the weighing of fruits. The heaviest of them is solemnly declared the Watermelon of the Year. Well, the most extreme competition is held on breaking hard berries with your head. In 2009, a record was even set, listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Australian John Alwood was able to break 47 watermelons in a minute, which brought him fame.
For 22 years now, a permanent festival has been held in the New Zealand town of Hokitika. The first such celebration was held here in 1990. It was associated with the 125th anniversary of the city. It is believed that the festival was invented by Claire Briant, a native of New Zealand. Once she treated her friends to an unusual wine made from wild flowers. This idea formed the basis of the celebration. Local entrepreneurs quickly realized that this gastronomic idea is simply doomed to success. This is how the annual culinary weekend was born, dedicated to a variety of rare and unusual dishes cuisines of New Zealand.
And on their basis, the festival was born, which increased the number of tourists eight times in a small seaside town. Most of the food looks like sushi. Only "surprises" are hidden inside - slugs, larvae, worms, bull's eyes. Tourists happily eat crispy grasshoppers in a sweet sauce and deep-fried shark meat. But the most famous dish at the festival is smelt pies. These little fish are considered a big treat in New Zealand, and their legal season is very short. If the guests have enough strength for dessert, then you should try ice cream with wasp larvae. To get to this gastronomic feast, you need to pay 30 local dollars, and for another 15 you can get into a night disco.
In Canada, the first major spring festival of Maple Syrup takes place in March-April. And the collection of maple sap begins in the country at the end of February. Trees that are 30 to 50 years old are suitable for this. A small hole is made in their trunks, from which the liquid flows into buckets. In the future, syrup is prepared from the juice. At the same time, 30-40 liters of raw materials are used for 1 liter of finished products. But this is exactly how much one maple can give to an insatiable person in a season. The collection of juice throughout the country lasts right up to the end of April. Along with this, Canada also hosts the Maple Syrup Festival.
The first mention of this festival dates back to 1760. Then the Indians were still engaged in collecting the refreshing liquid. They evaporated the juice and thus obtained sugar. Today, the festival features many dishes made with maple syrup or with its addition. Some of them can only be tasted here. A classic use for sweet syrup is to eat it with waffles or soup. But vegetable soup is also prepared on its basis, chicken thighs are marinated with it. And we must not forget the famous sugar pie without a crust. The Wheelers Maple Maple Syrup Museum gives a special performance at the festival. Every time he conducts master classes. Thanks to them, everyone can learn how to cook delicious syrup and immediately try what they have done.
Every year on June 24 in the Philippines, in the city of Balayan, traditional festival. Roast piglets are a very popular dish on this island. And on the day when Catholics remember John the Baptist, the Filipinos arrange their holiday. It's called the Lechon Parade. This word in the country is called a whole roasted pig. Before the start of the holiday, important preparations take place. First, the carcasses of the best milk pigs are marinated in spices, vinegar and soy sauce. The meat is then stuffed with pandan leaves and tamarind. The field of this piglet is roasted on a spit.
However, the finished dish is not served at the table at all, but is dressed up in various colorful costumes and worn on the shoulders by the participant along the streets of the city. The parade features pigs in evening and wedding dresses, the piglets are dressed in national clothes, sports boxing uniform or even in the overalls of the Formula 1 racer. And only when the festive procession ends, the perpetrators of the festival are undressed and served at the table. Anyone can enjoy a delicious meal here. In the Philippines, milk pigs are so loved that they are treated not only as a dish, but also as an excellent welcome gift. It is not surprising that at the wedding, the newlyweds will be presented with a small pig.
Every year in early July in New Delhi, India, festivities are held dedicated to this fruit. It occupies a special place in the life of the country. The national animal here is the Bengal tiger, the flower is the lotus, and the mango is without a doubt the main fruit in India. According to legend, the Buddha himself once ate it when he was in deep thought. The philosopher ordered to bury the bone of the useful fruit in the place indicated by him. They say that immediately a sprout appeared from the ground, and soon a tree grew, on which fruits appeared in the plural.
Since then, mango has become a sacred plant for India. Here it is a symbol of abundance and health. During the year, as many as 9.5 million tons of this fruit are harvested in the country. At the local bazaar, a kilogram of mango costs only half a dollar. Fruit picking reaches its peak in late June - early July. It is at this time that the mango festival takes place in New Delhi. The main guests here are farmers from all over the country. They bring with them new and unusual varieties of fruit that they have bred. You can find here mangoes the size of a chicken egg, and there are those that look like melons. Mango tastings are held at the festival, and you don’t have to pay for such entertainment. There is also a competition here, who will eat fruit faster. As part of the holiday, there is also a women's competition for the best recipe dishes are all from the same mango.
The country in which they love gooseberries, like nowhere else - England. Is it any wonder that a whole festival was dedicated to her here. It is held in Agton Bridge in early August. There is evidence that the English knew the gooseberry even under King Edward I, that is, in the XIII century! Although the fact that berry cultivation here began in 1548 looks more reliable. In those days, medieval Germany used gooseberry bushes as hedges and fences.
But in England, enlightened residents specially grew bushes and ate delicious berries. And today the inhabitants of Albion have not departed from the traditions of their ancestors. On the first Tuesday in August, a festival dedicated exclusively to gooseberries is held in North Yorkshire. The main guests here are gardeners. They meet in the church of St. Hedda and argue over whose gooseberries have grown tastier, prettier and bigger. For more than a hundred years there has been a glorious tradition of determining the heaviest berry. As once upon a time, giant gooseberries are weighed on old pharmacy scales. The weight of the berries is measured in grains and drachmas. The last winning gooseberry was more like a golf ball in size.
This is one of the most famous food related festivals in the world. It takes place in late August - early September in the Spanish Bunol. For a week, the life of a small town completely obeys the laws of the tomato festival. An average of 35,000 people come here for the festival. But the population of the town itself is 4 times less! And there was an unusual festival relatively recently. It is said that throwing tomatoes has become a symbol of protest against the regime of the dictator Franco. But a more plausible story is that the first tomato throw in Bunyol took place in 1945, when the city celebrated the day of its patron saint, Saint Bertrand. Tomatina has since been repeatedly banned. But since 1959, every summer, tomato battles in Bunyol have been a regular occurrence.
Until 1975, participation in the "battle" was paid. But in the end, first the monks, and then the city authorities, began to distribute tomato tools for free. After all, it paid off with the invasion of tourists in these places. The festival takes place in the city for a week. During this time, you can walk at the fair, parade in costumes and participate in the paella eating contest. And on Wednesday, at 11 o'clock in the afternoon, firecrackers are launched from the city hall. This serves as a signal for the start of the battle with tomatoes. The battle lasts exactly one hour. There are no special rules - you can launch a tomato at anyone who is nearby. The most important thing is to observe the unwritten norms of the festival. According to them, tomatoes cannot be crushed before throwing, as well as tearing clothes on another participant.
Restaurants teach how to sculpt manti, and tastings, culinary fights and dumpling curling are held in the squares.
watermelon festival
Where: Kamyshin, Volgograd region.
When: end of August - beginning of September.
What's happening: mass worship of watermelon. Kamyshans sew costumes for the national procession, decorate balconies and baby carriages, compose ditties and diligently throw pulp on the Watermelon Mochilov.
What to try: a ton of watermelons.
More on the topic: strawberry festival "Victoria" in Baikalsk.
"Russian jelly"
Where: village Bolshie Dvory, Moscow region.
When: January February.
What's happening: young people have fun with tug-of-war, cooks compete in the size and originality of jelly: some in the form of a castle, some with a walled-up Russian coat of arms. Everyone eats pickles, no canapes!
What to try: aspics of various architectural forms.
More on the topic: mustard festival in Sarepta.
Charlotte Charlotte Charity Festival
Where: Moscow.
When: first Sunday in October.
What's happening: some guests bring homemade apple pies, others buy them. And the proceeds go to the treatment of children.
What to try: charlotte, jam, marmalade and other apple desserts.
More on the topic:"Antonov apples" in Kolomna.
world dumpling day
Where: Izhevsk, Udmurtia.
When: mid-February, this year - February 8-13.
What's happening: restaurants teach how to make manti, khinkali, dumplings and other dumpling relatives, and tastings, culinary fights, and dumpling curling are held on the city square.
What to try: dumplings from different peoples of the world, but first of all, Udmurt dumplings.
Online: pelmenfest.ru
More on the topic: « Ural dumplings on Nikola Zimny" in Chelyabinsk.
"Great Rostov Ear"
Where: Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl
region.
When: third Saturday in May.
What's happening: teams of amateur cooks compete in cooking fish soup, and the audience work up an appetite at a concert and clean fish for speed.
What to try: fish soup from a 300-liter boiler and all sorts of other fish delicacies.
Online: rostovuha.ru
More on the topic: smelt festival in St. Petersburg.
porridge festival
Where: Kashin, Tver region.
When: June 26 this year.
What's happening: food is cooked in pots of large and extra large sizes. At the last festival, a country record was set by cooking 1,000 liters of buckwheat.
What to try: porridge according to old recipes.
Online: festival.kashin-grad.ru
More on the topic: nettle festival in Krapivna.
Photo sources: admkamyshin.info (1); vk.com/knyazhij_dvor (2), pelmenfest (4), event95522915 (6); miloserdie.ru (3); rostovuha.ru (5).
Hundreds of festivals take place every year around the world, and for food lovers, the possibilities seem endless. Depending on your favorite dish or cuisine, or the level of seriousness of the festival, chances are there is at least one in the whole world that will suit you perfectly.
The goal of some of the food festivals is not just a celebration, they are trying to be serious, interesting, remarkable, sometimes unusual, and sometimes just downright stupid. This year, try to get out of your comfort zone and visit one of the most unusual food festivals in the world.
BugFest (North Carolina)
In North America, they also like to eat bugs. Proof of this is the fact that North Carolina hosts BugFest every year, a festival where people gather to learn about the world of bugs and even taste some of the creeping, flying and biting insects.
The event is free. It usually offers to visit about a hundred different exhibitions and events, as well as chat with scientists. Local chefs prepare various insect dishes at the aptly named Insecta café. Ants were the theme of the festival last year.
Cooperschild Cheese Race (Gloucestershire, England)
At this festival, you and many others can chase down the hill for a head of Gloucester cheese. The first person to go down the rather steep Cooper Hill will receive a coveted head of cheese as a gift. Unfortunately, due to frequent injuries, the festival now has no official organizers, however, local residents support the tradition at their own peril and risk.
Chinchilla Watermelon Festival (Australia)
The watermelon capital of Australia, Chinchilla (the name of the city has nothing to do with the cute rodent from which fur coats are made) hosts a Watermelon Festival every two years. The event takes place from February 16th to 19th and features an incredible amount of watermelon games such as watermelon peel skiing, watermelon speed eating, watermelon shuttle run, watermelon bungee jumping and more.
Humongous Fungus Mushroom Festival (Michigan)
The name speaks for itself. This strange festival is all about mushrooms. The city of Crystal Falls, where the festival is held, grows the world's largest mushroom, so the city prefers to honor it annually with a three-day celebration at the end of August, at the height of the mushroom season. The events of the festival include a themed parade, fireworks, various sports tournaments and the main attraction of the festival, a huge mushroom pizza, the largest in the world.
La Tomatina (Spain)
An incredible tomato battle is held annually in the city of Bunyol, in the Spanish province of Valencia. This annual spectacle can be seen on the last Wednesday of August and it is worth joining this fun at least once. This festival is recognized as the biggest battle of culinary products in the world.
Wildfoods Festival (New Zealand)
For people who are ready to try any dish at least once, the Wildfoods Festival is an event not to be missed. In 2017, on March 11, you can try dishes that you have never encountered before. All food obtained in wild nature, and you can try everything - from larvae and scorpions to fried boar ears and raccoon meat.
"Night of the Radish" (Mexico)
In Oaxaca, there is a festival dedicated to carving, called "Night of the Radish", because the figures are carved from this particular vegetable. They take part in the competition for the best figure.
Waikiki Pate Festival (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Hawaiians love pâté, so much so that an entire festival is dedicated to it. Waikiki is a street festival that has become a tradition in Hawaii. It is accompanied by entertainment and very interesting pâté dishes. festival in this year will pass in the end of April.