flying and eating

September 22, 2005 9:56 AM

Dear international travelers: what, where and when are your favorite food-based cultural festivals? I'm not only asking about agricultural festivals, although I appreciate recommendations for those, too; I'm also interested in religious and cultural festivals where a specific food or ingredient plays a central role.
posted by luriete to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

Shrimp Festival. First weekend each May in Fernandina Beach, FL, USA. Pastafarians note: pirates aplenty. [Apologies for the awful website.]
posted by ijoshua at 10:01 AM on September 22, 2005

Jazz Fest in New Orleans.

*sigh*

(though, my N.O. expat friends claim that the city is hell-bent on having it next year)
posted by mkultra at 10:16 AM on September 22, 2005

Oyster Festival. Middle of June in Arcata, CA, USA.
Disclamer: I'm a vegetarian, but people tell me it's good
posted by darkness at 10:55 AM on September 22, 2005

Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA. Peach Festival(s) in SC. Crab/Seafood Fest in Annapolis, MD. Okra Strut in Columbia, SC. Notting Hill Carnival, London. Tokyo's public spaces have lots of good food during Ohanami.
posted by shoepal at 11:13 AM on September 22, 2005

I have not made it there yet, but the Tomatina in Spain sounds great. And after you visit the Okra Strut, you can got to Salley, SC for the Chitlin Strut.
posted by TedW at 12:23 PM on September 22, 2005

Salon international de l'agriculture à paris, concours général agricole, produits régionaux. Truly amazing.
posted by Dick Paris at 1:32 PM on September 22, 2005

Terlinqua
posted by Pressed Rat at 2:13 PM on September 22, 2005

Well, you don't actually get to eat it, but tofu plays a central role in the Japanese Hari-kuyo festival.
People save their broken sewing needles and pins throughout the year, then bring them to the temple and stick them into a block of tofu, which is later wrapped in paper and put to rest with honor.

So there's that.
posted by exceptinsects at 3:31 PM on September 22, 2005

In New Zealand we have the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival in March which ties in with the nationwide Monteith's Wildfood Challenge (July/August).
In Hokitika you could try Huhu grubs - we'd like to kid tourists that we eat them every day, but they're more use as bait* for Rainbow trout which are much better eating.

*disclaimer - highly illegal practice
posted by Catch at 4:06 PM on September 22, 2005

Hokitika also has SheepMart^tm, IIRC.
posted by shoepal at 5:07 PM on September 22, 2005

Each issue of Savuer has a sidebar that makes note of several upcoming food festivals.

Also, the Food Network web site has some information associated with the All American Festival show.
posted by stuart_s at 9:07 PM on September 22, 2005