Written by Alexandra Lazar.
Local foodies let their taste buds run wild with this year’s International Food Festival, which took place from the 17th to the 20th of October right in the heart of High Street, Lincoln.
A variety of international food merchants brought their home specialties in an attempt to familiarise Lincoln with European and Mediterranean flavours.
The street booths were put up early in the morning and the first customers followed shortly afterwards, eager and hungry.
Hundreds of people rapidly gathered around to try some specialities such as; French meringues or Belgian macaroons, which are,“Just coconut, egg whites and sugar! Very easy, very nice! ” Owner Luciano says. However, they take around 50 minutes to make and people were queuing, so Luciano had to get back to baking.
The fudge was just as delicious but also hard to make, brought to Lincoln by Astrid, straight from Galway. The fudge is made by Man of Aran in a variety of flavours – from Peppermint Chocolate to Whiskey.
Another very tasty stand was the Italian one, filled with biscuits and cake slices, in all shapes and sizes. However, the best of them, according to Gabor Villo, are Sicilian Canolli, little cream bundles wrapped in delicate pastry and covered with crunchy chocolate strips. Quite the gentlemen, the two Italian vendors welcomed all the girls with a heart-warming “Ciao, bella!”
On the other side, traditional dishes were a hit among the locals, one of the highlights of the festival being the Spanish Paella. “I make it myself, it’s my Grannies recipe and the way to make it is with meat, onion and Spanish Chorizo” says Julian Jimenez.
From a little bit closer to home was the coffee booth brought by Jimmy Beaton from Essex. The most special thing about the stand was the fragrance surrounding it. Different coffee essences blend so well together in creating a perfect smell. Their flavours ranged from anything you would usually use to much more exotic flavours such as; Mint Vanilla, Almond Cognac and best of all Mint Rum.
However, the most successful stand was the one selling rare meat delicacies and burgers, as odd as the combination might seem. They had already sold out on Crocodile File and Kangaroo bites, but were still grilling delicious Kangaroo burgers, a general crowd pleaser.
Overall, the International Food Festival was a great success, not only for the Lincoln locals, who got to try some new savoury flavours, but also to the merchants, who got a taste of the city and it famous sausage.
All picture taken by Alexandra Lazar.
