All-Capital Picnic

How can you enjoy the fast food of the Parisian boulevards - roasted chestnuts - without leaving Moscow? Or eat a traditional American dessert, a small cupcake called a cupcake, just steps away from the Statue of Liberty and Coach Row? The answers were found at the World Food Festival last weekend.

Last weekend, June 18 and 19 from 12.00 to 22.00, everyone could take part in a “round-the-world gastronomic journey” in the Hermitage Garden. The holiday for food lovers was organized by the magazine “Around the World,” which turned 150 this year. Thus, the publishing house celebrated the significant anniversary of the oldest educational magazine in Russia.

All the tents (and at the same time temples for gourmets) were grouped depending on the cuisine that the restaurant or cafe participating in the festival focuses on. It turned out to be 4 large continental divisions: America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Each department was adjacent to a large lounge area where you could sit down and have a quiet snack - lawns, tables, benches, soft sofas and even hammocks.

In America, you could try Cuban cuisine, classic hot dogs and hamburgers as dessert - ice cream, cheesecakes and mousses. For complete authenticity, slightly sad Indians and Marilyn Monroe were invited, whom some viewers recognized as a bit old, but looking decent in a flowing, airy white dress.

In Europe, to the sound of a French accordion, people tried Normandy tarts, hot chocolate and Spanish cold dishes in close proximity to a model of the Eiffel Tower. A little further, lovers of dumplings, salads and pickles danced to “You pissed me off” to the tune of perky Ukrainian tunes.

The Asian part of the Hermitage Garden gathered fans of a non-standard approach to the issue of nutrition - Tibetan, Thai, Indian and Korean cuisines were incredibly popular. Particularly persistent people tried to meditate on the lawn, but the majority still could not resist tasting the exotic variety - seaweed salad, pia paques (vegetable rolls with pineapple sauce) or a herbal drink with marigolds. Those who wished could get a henna tattoo on their arm or admire graceful Indian dances.

Under the magical sounds of a primitive-sounding ensemble of aborigines, one could try African fast food - falafel (flatbread with soy balls and various fillings) or meze (traditional Lebanese snacks). Coffee lovers had the opportunity to take part in a real Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and those who were tired of smoking a homemade hookah or eating food could sit in cozy hammocks under the trees and relax.

The traditional children's cries for help that accompany such family events were not heard - a special master class was opened in each continent for young guests of the festival, where kids could learn the basics of rock painting and the art of making pasta from multi-colored serpentine. For adults tired of consuming edible wonders, an “edible conference” was organized - editor-in-chief of the magazine “Around the World” Sergei Parkhomenko prepared summer fruit cocktails. Svetlana Kesoyan, editor-in-chief of the First, Second, Third magazine, shared the secrets of making real Spanish gazpacho (a soup made from fresh tomatoes and herbs).

And those who like to eat completely free of charge had absolutely nothing to do at this festival of the stomach. The pass to the Hermitage was an insert in the June issue of Around the World, but it did not give the right to eat anything in any quantity. You had to pay for gastronomic pleasure. However, this need did not scare away guests - there were impressive queues at some pavilions (for traditional Korean dim sum or stewed vegetables for vegetarians). Quite affordable prices (on average from 200 to 500 rubles) in combination with the mouth-watering appearance of desserts and snacks resulted in a positive effect: someone enthusiastically devoured Brazilian steaks on the lawn, others limited themselves to light American ice cream and a plastic chair.

In Russia, a food culture is slowly but surely forming - the Moscow public is ready to become acquainted with tasty and unusual cuisine. There are people willing to pay for the development of knowledge about gastronomy - and the success of the festival only confirms this.