MBOMBELA – Church Unlimited’s International Food Fair brought an array of delectable delights to the city recently.
Over the past nine years, the event has become a highly anticipated institution. Locals literally jot its date on their calendars months before the event and schedule their lives around it.
This year’s festival did not disappoint.
From 17:30, thousands of Mbombelans arrived at Church Unlimited. Beautifully decorated stalls transformed the church grounds into a colourful representation of 35 countries.
Patrons, dressed according to the country they represented, served traditional foods.
The South African stall served up Durban-style bunny chows. Japanese sushi was a favourite. Greek street food, packaged into bite-size portions, were a feast for both the eyes and taste buds. Indian mutton, vegetable and briyani infused with flavour, had the culinary travellers queuing for seconds.
Live music added to the festive atmosphere. Among the artists were Gibraltar, saxophonist Barry Odendaal and self-accompanied vocalist Hein Vermaak.
Coffee lovers were treated to steaming, rich cups of their favourite drink from Bangladesh, Mexico, Poland, Austria, Indonesia and Germany.
Many chose to combine this with sweet treats such as mini donuts, truffles, toffee apples and fudge from the USA.
Many queued for Pancakes-a-la-Holland.
All the items were reasonably priced, which allowed even those on tighter budgets to satisfy their every whim.
On its Facebook page, the church thanked participants for making the night an unforgettable event.
“We hosted our city with creative excellence and loving passion!” the post read.
