It is time for joy and celebration as the summer is back! The most popular time of the year for vacations drives a boom in the tourism industry. With the onset of the annual heat wave, it is essential to celebrate the harvest, the cycle of the climate, the efforts of the community and the culture and traditions that bring the blessing of food to our tables. There is no better way to enjoy the summer than a classic cultural trip to one of the biggest treats of the warm and bright season, food festivals!
Taste of Chicago
The home of deep-dish pizza, Chicago is known to be the cultural epicentre of America. Also known as the Windy City on the coast of Lake Michigan in Illinois, Chicago boasts one of the largest food festivals in the world. The Taste of Chicago is a unique summertime tradition established in 1980 with an indescribable array of eateries and food trucks showcasing the city’s cultural diversity and culinary excellence. With admission free of cost, one can walk into the park and relish the livid experience of the urban food culture paying the food vendors directly for the delicious treats.
This summer the Taste of Chicago lingers on throughout the season with a spread out in Humboldt Park on June 24th, Pullman Park on July 15th, Marquette Park on August 5th and finally in Grant Park from September 8th to September 10th; on every occasion from 11 am in the morning to 9 pm at night.
The food trucks this year are a treat from all over Chicago with nourishing juice, shawarma, sandwich, cupcakes and ice cream to rich delights like Tandoor, Mexican, Senegalese and African food. The festival also boasts a selection of live music starring Roy Davis Jr and Noshaluv along with free dance classes and amusement rides in Grant Park. If you want to know more about Taste of Chicago, check out the website here.
Stragusto
Located right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on the western tip of Sicily, Italy lies the historic city of Trapani, the home of the infamous ancient fish markets. For a few days at the end of July every year, the age-old square of the marketplace transforms into a livery of flavours, smells, colours and voices in the celebration of the street food of the Mediterranean.
Held annually since 2009, the 15th edition of Stragusto is held this year from 26th July to 30th July in the famed Piazza Mercato del Pesce in Trapani. It is a sensual delight with a picturesque array of street food stalls all over the market square with hawkers selling regional delicacies from cabbucio, piadine, cous cous, polenta, gelato and traditional Sicilian sweets as well as specialities from all over the Mediterranean such as brik and kebabs.
Street food is a universal language that transcends all differences. Stragusto literally translates to the Taste of the Streets. It is a gastronomic adventure that involves all the senses, from the voices of the ancient typical markets, the smells and the flavours, the tactile experience and the colours of the street food. If you want to know more about Stragusto, check out the website here.
Copenhagen Cooking
In 2003, Rene Redzepi opened the innovative restaurant Noma in Copenhagen which created a ripple that transformed into a massive gastronomic wave which brought Denmark to the spotlight of the gourmet world. The next year after the creation of Noma, the great market plaza of Torvehallerne experienced a massive influx of tourists from all over the world rejoicing in the celebration of a new culinary experience in the festival of Copenhagen Cooking.
It is the largest food festival in Northern Europe which profiles the new Nordic gastronomy and pays homage to culinary customs and traditions of a chosen city exhibit. This summer, Copenhagen Cooking comes to the large plaza of Torvehallerne from August 18th to August 27th with a focus on Potatoes and showcasing the city of Zurich in Switzerland.
This year’s spotlight features Swiss chocolate, sausages and cheese paired with Scandinavian wine. The informative showcases feature alcohol-free beverage brewing masterclasses and a course on the versatility of plant-based egg alternatives and dairy-free Swiss chocolate. Well adorned with food vendors serving hot paella and Shabbat dinner to Belgian fries’ stalls and cold open sandwiches, the plaza also will feature an array of workshops from okonomiyaki, green sandwiches and Tea cocktails at the famous Tante T to Casper Sobczyk’z crash course on potato dishes. If you want to know more about Copenhagen Cooking, check out the website here.
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