There's something about summer and festivals that makes the sweltering heat just a little more bearable. Be it music, art or sports, the summer festival circuit is abuzz with so much to do and see. But when you add the word 'food' to the mix, this summer festival circuit gets even more magical. Here are some culinary celebrations from around the world.
Caerphilly's Little Cheese Festival
The British may not be known for their fine cuisine, but the same can’t be said for the variety of delicious cheeses made in this island nation. There’s a wide variety, be it the fragrant Blue Stilton, the rich aged Cheddar or the wonderfully nutty Caerphilly. This hard, crumbly white cheese originated around the Welsh town of Caerphilly. So it’s only fitting that the town is home to a massive cheese festival every late summer. Formerly known as the Big Cheese Festival as it takes place in the historic Caerphilly Castle, it was renamed the Little Cheese Festival due to renovations to the castle. Taking place in Caerphilly town centre on 31 August and 1 September this year, the festival will feature everything from cheese making and tasting sessions to a fun-filled cheese run, where teams sprint around the town carrying heavy wheels of cheese. But beyond cheese, there will also be free concerts featuring local bands, numerous food and drink stalls and a host of music workshops.
First, here are some interesting lobster trivia that will surely surprise you: In the 1700s, lobsters were so plentiful in American states like Massachusetts and especially Maine on the East Coast that the crustaceans, considered the “poor man's chicken” in colonial times, were not only routinely eaten by prisoners and slaves, but were also primarily used as fertilizer for fields. That's why Rockland, Maine, hosts the biggest lobster festival every summer. This five-day festival usually takes place the first weekend of August (July 31-August 4 this year), when lobster lovers flock to the town to enjoy lobster bakes, lobster rolls, and the old-fashioned “boil,” in which the shellfish is boiled with corn on the cob, potatoes, and a whole host of spices, including the ever-popular Old Bay seasoning.
The Japan Ramen Festival, commonly known as the “Otsukemen Haku,” is a Japanese gourmet version of the Olympics, and the host city changes every year. The 2024 festival will kick off in mid-May at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and will take place over four weekends. Thirty-two famous ramen shops from all over Japan will be participating. They offer a variety of ramen styles, including Hakata tonkotsu, a cloudy pork bone soup, Hokkaido miso ramen, made with fermented soybean paste, and the most popular Yokohama Iekei ramen.
Every year, during the last weekend of May or the first weekend of June, things pick up at a “snail pace” in the Spanish city of Lleida. Just a two-hour drive from Barcelona, ​​this snail hub hosts the very unique Aplec del Caragol (which translates to “gathering of snails” in English). The largest snail festival in the world, it sees temporary stalls dotted around the city's parks and other public spaces, where thousands of shelled gastropods are served in a variety of ways. The most basic is the a la llauna style, where the snails (a special summer variety called CaracolÃnz Blanquilla) are first grilled in a pan and then simply tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper once cooked. The snails are scooped out of their shells with a toothpick and then dipped into a garlicky mayonnaise sauce called alioli, which is delicious. Other ways to eat these tasty snails include in a parsley and bacon-flavored stew called golmanta, or stewed in sanfaina. The latter is a typical Catalan tomato, zucchini and eggplant based sauce, served with a crusty piece of bread dipped into the sauce to scoop up the thick remains of the sauce.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Further relating to the Western concept of the “summer month,” this unique vegan food festival is held in Thailand's popular island of Phuket and is based on the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Taking place from October 2-11 this year, the festival is known by a wide variety of names, such as the Nine Emperors Festival, or Gia Chai in Thai. During the festival, both sides of the streets across the island are lined with stalls selling vegan dishes. From delicious grilled tofu skewers and crispy papaya salad to tasty khanom (Thai sweets) that eschew curry, meat, and even eggs, the ten-day event sees devotees abstain from meat, alcohol, sex, and other stimulants. Gia Chai is not an ancient festival, but it dates back to 1825, when a Chinese opera troupe touring Phuket fell ill with malaria and was miraculously cured after adhering to a strict vegetarian diet and praying fervently to the Nine Emperors to allow them to resume their work.
Published on June 9, 2024 at 00:00 IST
