Heritage Festival 2015

August long weekend is not complete without a trip to William Hawrelak Park for the annual Servus Heritage Festival. This 3-day showcase highlighting Canada's multicultural heritage is my favourite summer festival because there are so many things to see and do: shop for clothing and artwork, watch performances, make crafts, and (the best part!) try culinary delights from approximately sixty pavilions which represent over 85 cultures.

I visited Heritage Festival on its very last day, just like last year (click here to read my recap of Heritage Days 2014). It was super hot and sunny outside but I was determined to survive the heat and visit all the pavilions on my list!

A full sheet of 30 food tickets.

I usually go for at least 30 food tickets for the price of $25 each year. However, prior to the festival, I entered a giveaway by Edmonton Tourism for 30 food tickets and much to my surprise, I was one of the winners!

@manabeam @TamaraVineberg @InformalTravelr @NathanAhamed @sk_gonzales are our winners! Each receive 30 food tickets! Just DM for more info

— ExploreEdmonton (@EdmontonTourism) July 28, 2015

Thank you Edmonton Tourism for your generosity! I was pretty stoked that I was able to save money this time around.

Fruit Punch Tropicana Slushee.

As much as I wanted to use the tickets for only food, a cold, thirst quenching beverage was a must to combat the summer heat. I decided to try the Tropicana Slushee (5 tickets) from Indonesia (Site 57). The fresh, fruit punch flavour of this icy drink was perfect to cool down with.

Tameya.

5 new pavilions joined Heritage Festival this year so I wanted to make sure I visited some of them. The first new pavilion I checked out was South Sudan (Site 12A) to try their Tameya (3 tickets). These small deep fried balls consist of chick pea, oil, salt, onions, and a spice mixture. These bites were fried to a beautiful colour and had a soft texture inside. They were also packed with flavour and not too spicy either. I only wish there were more than 3 pieces! But so far, a great way to start off an afternoon of trying new food.

Fried Haitian Chicken.

Another new pavilion I visited was Haiti (Site 9) to try their Fried Haitian Chicken (6 tickets). The two pieces of chicken had a thinly fried exterior but the inside was tender and juicy. I also really liked how this menu item was served with rice for a more filling meal. However, I would say that the real standout was the salad - a refreshing bite followed by a spicy kick that built up as you ate more.

Halo Halo.

I was not planning on getting Halo-Halo (9 tickets) from Philippines (Site 16) at all, but my friend suggested sharing it between 3 of us. Halo-Halo translates to "mix-mix" in Tagalog because of the need to mix the shaved ice, milk, sugar, ice cream, and sweetened fruits together. But for the hefty cost of 9 tickets, this particular Halo-Halo left me disappointed. This treat definitely lacked colour... where was the bright green or red nata de coco? Or the purple ube halaya or ube ice cream? Part of why I enjoy eating Halo-Halo is having a variety of components for even more flavour but I felt this one didn't deliver on that end. I also thought it was a little strange adding in shredded cantaloupe (also used in their Melon Drink). However, this treat was great for keeping us cool but I wouldn't recommend it just because it was quite expensive for what it was. 

Lebanese Style Fries.

The last new pavilion I decided to check out was Lebanon (Site 30) for their Lebanese Style Fries (5 tickets). The fries were hot and fresh, perfectly crispy, and paired very well with the delicious garlic dip and parsley. It was heaven in my mouth! Normally I would wish for more garlic dip but the fries were actually quite good on their own too. 

Kara-age.

If you read my recap of last year's adventure at Heritage Festival, you might remember that I was inspired to try Japan's (Site 32) takoyaki because of an anime. Well, the same thing goes for this year. Episode 17 of Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma was all about kara-age so I wanted to see for myself what kara-age was all about. And what better place to try it than at Heritage Festival? Kara-age (5 tickets) is marinated and coated deep fried chicken. The one I received was excellent: fried to a perfect golden brown, crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. This was hands down the best food item I tried all day! Now I know why there was so much hype about this dish in Food Wars. You can bet that I'll be hunting for chicken kara-age next time I'm craving Japanese.

Picarones.

Finally time for something sweet! I went for Picarones (5 tickets) from Peru (Site 36) to satisfy my sweet tooth. Picarones are fried Peruvian donuts served with syrup. These donuts don't look like much, but they were unexpectedly delightful. The exterior had a satisfying crunch but the inside was soft and fluffy. They also had a subtle spicy sweet taste which truly made these one-of-a-kind. The syrup also added just the right amount of sweetness. These Peruvian donuts were another favourite of mine, and CJ even described them as "killer". 

Fruit Punch Drink.

My friend ended up giving me her leftover food tickets, so CJ and I just used them for a nice, cold beverage. We got ourselves two Fruit Drinks (2 tickets) from Ukraine (Site 3) to cap off our day at the festival. If you're looking for a simple, fruity drink to keep cool then I would suggest making your way to Ukraine because they offer a 16 oz drink for just 2 tickets (whereas other pavilions have 16 oz drinks at 4 tickets or more). It's also cheaper than the beverage tents which sell drinks for 3 tickets. Just something to keep in mind for next year's festival! 

It was super fun to take part in the festival's 40th Anniversary and try out new food from many different cultures. The festive sights, sounds, and smells in a beautiful outdoor setting all made for a wonderful afternoon celebrating Canada's multicultural heritage.  A huge thanks once again to Edmonton Tourism for the food tickets! I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for next year's Servus Heritage Festival. Don't forget to give Servus Heritage Festival a follow on Twitter (@EdmHeritageFest). 

Heritage Festival 2014

With Edmonton being known as Festival City, it's not hard to come up with a list of festivals to look forward to attending every summer... Taste of Edmonton, K-Days, Fringe Festival. One summer festival that has always been on my list is Heritage Festival (www.heritage-festival.com)! Servus Heritage Festival is a 3 day showcase highlighting Canada's multicultural heritage, located in William Hawrelak Park. They feature 60 pavilions representing over 85 cultures from all over the world! At these cultural pavilions, you are able to sample a variety of culinary delights, watch performances, and shop for clothing, artwork, crafts, and other neat items. The best part about this festival is that admission is free! Transportation via bus, buying food tickets, or purchasing items would be the only instances when you'd have to spend money. You could definitely attend the festival without needing to spend money and still have a great time! 

Heritage Festival occurs during the August long weekend, but I didn't have time to go until the very last day of the event - Monday, August 4th. CJ and I arrived there early in the afternoon to have lots of time to enjoy the festival without fear of food running out! Yes, the food will always be my favourite part of the festival. Every year, I carefully look through the festival menu and plan out what food and drink items I want to get, depending on the number of tickets I buy. I usually get 30 tickets for $25.00, but this year I wanted to try even more food! I decided to go for 42 tickets which cost me $35.00. 

If you've ever been to Heritage Festival, you'll know just how large the area is! The pavilions are spread all over Hawrelak Park, so it really helps to have one of the Site Maps with you. CJ, my friends and I decided to start at one end of the festival and make our way around, checking out each pavilion along the way. 

Poffertjes.

First stop: the Dutch pavilion at Site 58 to pick up Poffertjes (6 tickets). Poffertjes are tiny Dutch pancakes served hot from the griddle, with melted butter and powdered sugar. I don't really like pancakes in general, but I couldn't resist trying out these smaller sized ones! The pancakes were light and fluffy but just a little buttery, while the powdered sugar added the right amount of sweetness. Yummy! I thought this was perfect for sharing with my friends. 

Latin Fried Ice Cream.

One of the food items that caught my eye was Latin Fried Ice Cream (6 tickets) from Nicaragua at Site 37. When we got there, we only ended up having to pay 4 tickets instead of 6! Apparently the rainy weather was affecting the number of ice creams being sold, so they decided to reduce the cost. This dessert is deep fried vanilla ice cream rolled in crispy flakes with brown sugar and cinnamon, topped with whipped cream and strawberries on the side. The fried outer layer was a little hard to break through at first, but when I got around to taking a bite of the crispy flakes and ice cream together, it was heaven in my mouth. So good!!! The brown sugar and cinnamon definitely made the crispy flakes more flavourful, and I thought the strawberries were the perfect touch. While most people return to Heritage Festival for the classic Elephant Ears, I would come back for this ice cream! I highly recommend giving this dessert a try for next year! 

Takoyaki.

Now for something savoury: Takoyaki (3 tickets) from the Japanese pavilion at Site 32. The first time I heard about takoyaki was while watching an episode of One Piece. After finally reaching the Red Line, the Straw Hat Pirates help a mermaid named Keimi and talking starfish named Pappug, who offer to give them some takoyaki to express their thanks. I clearly remember Luffy cheering for takoyaki along the way to meet with Hatchan, who runs a takoyaki stand. Since then, I've always wanted to try this dish! Takoyaki is essentially an octopus dumpling served with sauce. I've never had octopus before, so I was a bit nervous to try it! Unfortuately, this particular dumpling wasn't as pleasant as I thought it would be. I thought the flour-based batter was a little gummy for my liking, and the octopus itself was a bit tough to chew. The sauce it was served with was mildly spicy, but overall just okay. If I ever try takoyaki again in the future, I'm hoping it will taste better than this one. 

Fresh Lemonade Drink.

Several years ago at Heritage Festival, I remember wanting to get something refreshing to drink. I ended up getting the Fresh Lemonade Drink (4 tickets) from Borneo at Site 30. At the time I was thinking, "this is the best lemonade I've ever tasted". Since that time, I've always gotten this drink every year at Heritage Festival. Unfortunately, every year after that one just hasn't been the same. Instead of the amazing, sweet lemonade I had in the past, this drink is now just your average lemonade. I don't know why I still keep getting it though. Maybe out of hope that one year, it will be the same lemonade that it was before! Oh well. 

Mango Slices with Sticky Rice.

Right next to the Borneo pavilion was Thailand, at Site 29. Here I wanted to try the Mango Slices with Sticky Rice (5 tickets), which is a popular Thai dessert. This dessert consists of coconut milk sweetened sticky rice with ripe mango slices. Once I had this dish in my hands, I could immediately smell the sweet coconut aroma from the sticky rice. Yum! The mango was perfectly ripe and juicy, and the sticky rice was sweet and melted in my mouth. This dessert is definitely on the heavier side compared to more classic Western desserts, so I would give this one a try if you're looking for something new and different! I'm looking forward to getting this dessert again if I ever check out some of Edmonton's Thai restaurants. 

Melon Drink.

Whenever I go to Heritage Festival, I do my best to sample food from places I usually wouldn't try. In other words, avoid all Asian pavilions - particularly the pavilion of my own heritage! However, there is one item from the Philippines pavilion at Site 16 that will always keep me coming back: the Melon Drink (3 tickets)! I absolutely love this drink. Sometimes my mom makes this at home, and I'm pretty sure I'm the one drinking most of it! This chilled drink is composed of shredded cantaloupe and sugar, so it is nice and sweet but also very refreshing. CJ and I grabbed a fork because we knew we'd want to scoop up the remaining pieces of cantaloupe after the liquid would be all gone (why let something so good go to waste? Haha). If you're going to get a drink, make it this one! So good and only 3 tickets! 

Chicken Curry.

Okay, time to get a more filling meal for CJ and myself! I decided to get us Chicken Curry (7 tickets) from Fiji at Site 14. This dish consists of chicken pieces cooked with spices, garlic, and oil served with either rice or roti. We chose to get ours with rice. I thought the chicken was cooked well with a unique combination of spices, and the bed of rice underneath was fresh and warm. This dish was hearty and was a perfect break after having so many desserts and sweeter beverages. Both CJ and I wished that there was more chicken though! 

Latkes.

Another more filling dish: Latkes (5 tickets) from Israel at Site 2. Latkes are fried shredded potato and onion pancakes, served with apple sauce. The pancakes were hot and quite flavourful, and they were actually very filling as well! I was already feeling stuffed after eating the first pancake. The inside had a fluffy texture but the outside was perfectly crispy. I think I would've liked the dish better if the apple sauce itself was sweeter! I thought it lacked much needed sweetener, like sugar or honey. Unfortunately, CJ didn't enjoy these pancakes as much as I did. 

Shrimp Chips.

At this point, 5 tickets remained out of the 42 I purchased earlier. However, one of my friends needed to leave early, so she gave her 6 remaining tickets to CJ and I! More food for us! I hadn't really planned for having extra tickets, so it took me some time to figure out what to get. CJ just wanted something simple and didn't want to walk too far, so I chose to get a bag of Shrimp Chips (4 tickets) from the Hong Kong pavilion at Site 24 which was nearby. Both of us have had shrimp chips countless times, so why did I choose to get this? Because it's addictive and colourful, that's why! This is definitely one of my favourite snacks - light, crunchy, and full of shrimp flavour. 

Jugo de Pina.

CJ is always looking for something to drink, so we ended up getting Jugo de Pina (3 tickets) from Ecuador at Site 25. This pineapple juice was smooth, sweet and very thirst quenching. Delicious! 

Empanada de Queso.

Last food item of the day! CJ and I were ready to go home, so we just got another item from Ecuador instead of walking around some more. We got the Empanada de Queso (4 tickets), which is a deep fried dough filled with mozzarella cheese. The empanada had a beautiful golden brown colour, and was flaky after taking a bite out of it. CJ and I actually thought it would be filled completely with the mozzarella cheese, but we found that it had a hollow interior with the cheese lining the inner sections of the dough. Very simple and satisfying dish to finish off our day at Heritage Festival! 

Heritage Festival 2014 was so much fun! All the food and drink I sampled were delicious, and I loved being able to try new things from different cultures all over the world. It's a great experience to see so many people coming together in one spot to celebrate Canada's multiculturalism and cultural diversity. Mine and CJ's favourite dish of the day had to be the Latin Fried Ice Cream, hands down. I'm already so excited for next year's Heritage Festival, which will be their 40th Anniversary! See you then!