January may be a time for detox and hibernation, but that can get very boring after the first week. One of our favourite activities to divert ourselves while staying on the healthy wagon is planning the year ahead. No, not New Year's resolutions or anything so dull; but our holidays. And when we consider where we'd like to visit in the coming year, what food we can indulge in along the way is always a key consideration. So to help you cure those January blues, here is our guide to the best food festivals and food shows around the world in 2012. Happy holiday planning!
Spring
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Australia (March 2-21, 2012)
It's no secret that Melbourne is a favourite dining destination here at Asia Tatler Dining. What we lack here in Hong Kong (excellent Spanish tapas or Middle Eastern cuisine, for example), Melbourne has in abundance.
Read our travel guide, 48 Hours of Fine Dining in Melbourne, here.
And there is no better way to sample all the city has to offer than at the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Held over 10 days with over 250 events including the World's Longest Lunch (pictured below); chef masterclasses, wine pairings, Crawl 'n' Bite and dinners cooked by the biggest chefs in the world (Rene Redzepi is making an appearance this year), this is truly one of the biggest food events of the year.
For more information, please visit www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au.
World Gourmet Summit, Singapore (April 23-May 3, 2012)
If Australia is a bit too far to fly, Singapore is quickly emerging as one of the region's dining capitals thanks to restaurants such as Andre, Tatsuya and Daniel Boulud's modern bistro at the Marina Bay Sands. And in this food-obsessed city state, savvy locals always make sure to attend the annual World Gourmet Summit. Although this year's event details have yet to be confirmed, past years' events have included Domaine de Chevalier wine dinners, Leica food photography classes and masterclasses on everything from Japanese sushi, Norwegian seafood and pastry classes from world renowned chefs.
For more information, please visit www.worldgourmetsummit.com
Summer
La Grande Bufala, Eboli, Italy (Early June)
While the exact dates have not been confirmed for 2012, if you're in Italy at the beginning of June and you're a fan of mozzarella, it is worth your while to pop down to the town of Eboli in Campania. Home to both buffalo mozzarella and a festival that celebrates the cheese, La Grande Bufala takes place over a week and includes a Bufala Village where you can try panini and pasta made with the region's buffalo mozzarella; chefs cooking up special menus celebrating the cheese in various local osterias and trattorias; cooking shows and workshops.
Knysna Oyster Festival, South Africa (July 6-15, 2012)
If you don't do heat, then why not head to the southern hemisphere and enjoy some cooler temperatures plus some of the world's best oysters? Located at picturesque Knysna in South Africa, the event includes oyster shucking and eating competitions; a oyster and wine Mardi Gras with wines from local wineries; and a variety of Oyster Hotspots offering a whole range of different varieties of the delicious mollusc including tempura oysters, wood-smoked oysters or simply au naturel.
For more information, please visit www.oysterfestival.co.za.
Copper River Wild! Salmon Festival, Alaska, USA (July 26-28, 2012)
Uniformly orange and white striped farmed salmon are sadly so ubiqitous that many of us may have forgotten the taste of good, old-fashioned, wild salmon. So if you're in the US this summer, Prince William Sound in Alaska hosts an annual festival dedicated to the majestic fish. Events include cook-offs and fillet demonstrations; salmon barbecue; and even marathons run along the Copper River delta, where the wild salmon traditionally traverse to spawn.
For more information, please visit www.copperriverwild.org.
Autumn
Fête des Dattes, Erfoud, Morocco (October 16-23, 2012)
Dates are a common feature in the cooking of the Maghreb, with 90,000 tonnes exported from Morocco annually. With almost a million date palms, Erfoud, a quiet oasis town in the Saharan desert in Morocco, comes to life every October when the harvest is brought in. Locals dance to traditional music, guests are invited to sample the numerous salads and tagines sprinkled liberally with dates, all capped off by a camel race into the dunes.
Oktoberfest, Blumenau, Brazil (October 10-28, 2012)
Celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich is old-hat. For something much more interesting, head down to the old German colony of Blumenau in southern Brazil, founded in 1850 by 18 German immigrants. The main area is the six-acre Vila Germânica, which resembles a German village where there is German ham hocks and Brazilian coquettes side by side, Brazilian music, and beer from local Santa Catarina's breweries served at the Biergarten.
Winter
Kona Coffee Festival, Hawaii, US (November 2-11, 2012)
If you're desperate to get out of the cold, the Kona Coffee Festival, held on the Big Island of Hawaii, should warm you right up. With coffee picking contests; coffee tastings; coffee recipe competitions and live cooking shows; and historical tours of Kona's coffee farms, it is fun for the whole family, even the little ones.
For more information, please visit www.konacoffeefest.com.
Niagara Icewine Festival, Canada (January 13-29, 2012 or January 11-27, 2013)
Canada is one of the world's largest producer of the dessert wine known as icewine, made from grapes frozen on the vine. Held in January, the Niagara Icewine Festival features over 30 Ontario wineries and visitors can also by a Discovery Pass that takes them along the Wine Route to different wineries, which pairs icewines with a variety unexpected dishes such as chicken curries, cheesecakes, tacos and pad thai.
For more information and tickets, please visit www.icewinefestival.com.
