Staff Reporter
FOR the last five days, Fuengirola’s streets have been hustling and bustling, packed with people queuing to try the different flavours of the world.
A few members of the Olive Press team went to check out the 29th edition of the Feria Internacional de los paises on Saturday.
You could smell the festival before you could see it. Following the wafting scent of smoky barbequed meat lead you to Argentina’s stall where at least 10 rib cages of cows were being grilled open-air style. Definitely not a place to be a vegan.
The Italian stall showcased what looked like 1000 slices of olive-topped pizza. There were bubbling vats of deep red paella and fluffy Polish dumplings on offer.
The crowds mirrored the variety of international stalls, with different languages chattering around you. Happy punters carried cocktails in carved out pineapples and plates loaded with Spanish tapas, empanadas and Turkish pastry delights. The British stall sold fish and chips with little pots of vinegar to drizzle over, followed by tall glasses of sweet Pims.
Intern Dylan, who had travelled a 1000 kilometres or so to spend two months learning about Spanish journalism with the Olive Press team, was happily reunited with home in the form of the Belgium beer on offer at his nation´s stall. Other intern Tom happily learned about Belgium’s famous beers as he boogied to the USA’s electronic dance beats.
Held at Fuengirola’s fairground, each building on site was decorated in each country’s colours and flags, with traditional music the soundtrack to those eating and drinking inside. You’d peek in and see dirndl-donned women being twirled by legs in lederhosen. There were serenading singers and mariachi musicians controlling the dancers with each strum of their guitars. A trio, all with dreadlocks, made beats to sway the crowd in Jamaica’s building.
Most Latin American countries were happily represented, reflecting the large population of Latinos who now call Spain home. A country geographically located almost opposite Spain, sold crocodile and kangaroo skewers – Australian style.
Glaringly absent from the international food festival were any stalls at all from Asia. The so-called Hawaii food stall was selling poke bowls (Japanese origin) and Pad Thai (Thailand’s famous traditional dish), despite there being several thousands of kilometres of oceans between the Pacific island and the Asian countries it was claiming to represent.
The buttery naan and creamy curries of India’s stall, present at last year’s festival, were sadly missed.
READ MORE:
