Food festivals around the world
Stilton Cheese Rolling
May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include these rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes, roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane (赛道). Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors are served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.
Fiery Foods Festival-The Hottest Festival on Earth
Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction-food that is not just spicy, but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three clays every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper-officially the hottest pepper in the world-or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you!
La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight
On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts Ea Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight—starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.
The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash!
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Australia's cultural capital has hosted this 20 years, a showcase of the continent's culinary(烹调用的) mastery through cooking demonstrations, special tours and food tastings throughout the city. Meet celebrity chefs and artisan food crafters, go to gals dinners and discover Down Under's most fantastic flavors
Many people seem to love potatoes however they are cooked. But have you ever asked yourself where they came from?
It all started in Peru. There, people grew potatoes over 2,000 years ago. They weren't like the ones we know today. The first Europeans to try to plant potatoes were the Spanish. In 1537, Spanish explorers discovered people eating what they called papas. They brought this strange vegetable back to Spain in the 1550s.
People generally didn't like the potato. Lots of other vegetables were introduced into Europe at the same time, like tomatoes and sweet potatoes, and people preferred those to the unattractive potatoes. Very slowly, they spread through Europe. There is a story that King Louis XVI of France liked the potato and planted them in his royal garden.
So, what about chips? Well, the Belgians claim that they invented fried potatoes, although nobody really knows for sure. The first mention of "chips" in England is by the writer Charles Dickens in 1859. The Americans call them “French fries” because soldiers from America went to France during the First World War and loved the dish. Now, the Americans eat over twenty million tons of chips a year.
Crisps are an American invention, although they call them "chips". Everybody agrees that a native American chef, George Crum, made the first crisps in 1853. One day, a difficult customer wanted fried potatoes, sliced thinly. When they arrived, he said they weren't thin enough. In the end, Crum got annoyed and sliced the potatoes as thinly as he could and fried them, and then added lots of salt. The dish was an immediate success.
Next time you are in your favourite fast food place eating chips with your friends, amaze them with your potato knowledge!
A. He kept sending them back to be cooked again.
B. The original potatoes were smaller and tasted bitter.
C. They were found to be a good source of vitamins, surprisingly.
D. He mentioned "chips of potato" fried in oil in one of his books.
E. He asked the fried potatoes to be mixed with butter and cheese.
F. Ordinary people stole them and planted them in their own gardens.
G. They were given to slaves and prisoners, because they were so cheap.
