The way to a community’s heart is through its stomach
From June 10 to 12, Guelph and District Multicultural Festival took place at Riverside Park. Under a large white tent, countless food vendors filled the air with delicious smells while festival-goers filled their tummies with delicious foods from around the world. In addition to the delectable foodie frenzy, there were all the fixings of an excellent carnival with generous portions of cultural shows and endless side dishes of music.
They say that food is the way to a man’s heart. Whether or not that’s true, experiencing new foods is an enjoyable way to bring a new culture into your own heart. Having the opportunity to learn about and taste new food in an open environment such as the festival removes all the pressure of going to an unfamiliar restaurant. At the festival, you aren’t expected to know what anything is, let alone how it is made or how to pronounce anything on the menu. You’re only encouraged to try something new.
The reviews here cover some of the lesser known foods that were available at the Multicultural Festival and a couple familiar ones we just had to taste.
Vendor: Laza Catering
Culture: Eritrean
Review: The potato stew had a tangy tomato base with an underlying spice that meant business. The green lentil curry—mildly spiced with ginger, turmeric, and garlic—was hearty but not heavy. The injera (sourdough-risen flatbread) had a light, spongy texture that complimented the stew and curry well. The cold hibiscus tea with honey was floral not only from the hibiscus but also from the local honey used as a sweetener.
Vendor: Schmecken BBQ
Culture: Pennsylvania Dutch
Review: While pulled pork is common, having a piece of pork carved from a whole roast pig in front of you is a rare treat. The meat was incredibly tender but firm in a way you just can’t get in a slow cooker. Served with an apple butter barbeque sauce, the end product was big on sweet hickory flavour that accentuated the natural sweet and smoky flavour of the roasted pork.
Vendor: Nepalese Cuisine
Culture: Nepali
Review: While the chicken momo (a steamed dumpling) was tender and emphasized the chicken flavour, the vegetarian momo—which was filled with ground paneer (a compressed cottage cheese that doesn’t melt), onion, and spices—was the clear winner when combined with the tangy tomato-based sauce. Although the sauce was slightly lacking in acidity and seasoning, when combined with the potato achar (a turmeric-spiced cold potato salad) the dish was refreshingly light and balanced. The sel roti, a sweet, deep-fried ring of dough with a crispy exterior and chewy interior was good—as deep-fried things often are—and although a little greasy, was easy to finish off when fresh from the fryer.
Vendor: Bollywood Bistro
Culture: Indo-Chinese
Review: Vegetarian Manchurian is a dish made of deep-fried balls made of minced cabbage, carrots, peppers, and more in a tangy, spicy, soy-based sauce. This version was mild in spice but bold on flavour. The ball itself was soft and light as was the naan it was enjoyed with.
Vendor: Elisa’s Island Oasis
Culture: Various Cultures
Review: The sugar cane juice here would have been a favourite for anyone in need of a sugar-fix. Not only was the drink very sweet it had a mildly earthy, herbal flavour that is like nothing else. It was also amazing to see the sugar cane split in half with a huge knife and then run through a machine to extract a full cup of the sweet liquid.
Vendor: Delightful Borek
Culture: Turkish
Review: While the lentil roll (ground spiced lentils shaped into a roll) and sarma (rice wrapped in grapevine leaves) were served cold, the feta and spinach borek (a stuffed flour-based flatbread) was piping hot. The refreshing flavour of fresh mint in the lentil roll, the acidity of the sarma, and the creaminess of the borek combined to create an excellent meal.
Vendor: Pupesería & Bakery Flore de Izote
Culture: Salvadorian
Review: The bean and cheese pupusa (a thick corn-based stuffed tortilla) was served hot with a rich and creamy filling. It was topped with a flavourful tomato-based sauce and a garnish of sauerkraut, which had a sweet acidity that cut through the rich filling well. If you like quesadillas or burritos, it’s likely you’ll love a pupusa.
Vendor: GrassRoots Catering
Culture: First Nations
Review: The cedar tea, served hot, tasted like a cedar forest in a mug; it had a smoky quality and strong cedar flavour. Similarly, the strawberry juice, served ice cold, tasted like someone took the sweetest strawberries in the field and transformed them into a liquid, leaving a few whole, just in case you had any doubt that this drink was 100 per cent natural. If you like strawberries this will be your new favourite summertime beverage.
