Wild foodies head to West Coast festival
12 Mar 2009
Global foodies will head to New Zealand’s western fringe this weekend to sharpen their tastebuds on the culinary wild side at the legendary Hokitika Wildfoods Festival (13 - 15 March).
Worm sushi, gorse hamburgers, wasp larvae ice-cream, fried locusts, hot jelly and pickled huhu grubs are all on the 2009 menu - and, just some of the bizarre taste experiences that have given the South Island town of Hokitika the unofficial title of wild foods capital of the world.
Rare gourmet treats
The Wildfoods Festival attracts a capacity crowd of 15,000 each year, and has become a world acclaimed event. Last year’s visitors came from 24 different countries.
This year the festival celebrates its 20th birthday, and organisers are enticing overseas visitors and ex-pat ‘Coasters’ home to Hokitika with some rare gourmet treats.
Wild huhu grubs - larvae of the New Zealand native huhu beetle - are fattening in rotting rata tree logs, while wasp larvae is bathing in beech honey dew as festival taste-tempters. And the list goes on ... deep fried locusts, beer battered huhu beetles, colostrum pikelets, pickled ponga (native tree fern), wild pork, venison and watercress are just some of the unusual edibles to be served up by stall holders this year.
Local beer, wine and whisky
To wash it down, festival goers enjoy locally made West Coast Beer, moonshine whisky and some rare wines produced from gorse flowers, rose petals, broom, rosehip and plum.
"We’re not a wine growing area but this is vintage stuff," event organiser Mike Keenan said.
As well as out-of-the-ordinary fare, visitors can enjoy more conventional local produce from healthy and organic food stalls with a range of foods.
Whitebait fritters
One of the most popular local delicacies on the festival menu is whitebait, and four stall holders will be offering their own fresh catch made into traditional whitebait fritters.
Last year 6,000 whitebait fritters were sold, and 2009 promises to break the 6,500 mark, according to Keenan. The fritters will be served in typical West Coast style, with mint sauce.
"You can always tell a real West-coaster - they won’t have lemon on their whitebait, but always mint sauce," he said.
Festival entertainment
Hokitika’s recently restored art deco movie theatre will première a new ‘horror food’ film on the eve of the festival, with the Wildfoods’ classic cult movie Magik and Rose on the second night.
Festival entertainment includes 2007 Gold Guitar winner and country singer Kaylee Bell, 2003 Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year James Ray, jazz blues band ‘Panda’, acoustic rocker ‘Sun Switch’ and West Coast ‘Ballykiss Tribal Belly Dance Troupe’.
Wildfoods festival history
Local Hokitika resident, Claire Bryant, instigated the first celebration of West Coast wild food.
Bryant’s wine cellar was well stocked with a home brew of local gorse flower wine, and people were clamouring for a taste of her rose petal brew so she decided to stage a festival to coincide with the town’s 125th anniversary in March 1990.
Now the Wildfoods Festival has become an iconic New Zealand event attracting global interest.
From 1800 in its first year, the festival now attracts national and international visitors boosting Hokitika’s population to 20,000 over the weekend.
New wild foods are introduced every year, and have included a wide range of unusual foods from snails, wild pork, possum pies and sheep’s brains to cucumber fish, sheep milk cheeses and wok fried clams.
In 1996, the Wildfoods Festival was awarded the ‘Most Unique Event in New Zealand’ and has twice been a winner in the New Zealand Tourism Awards.
The West Coast region
Hokitika (pop: 3300) has a colourful history. Settled in the 1860’s after the discovery of gold, it soon developed into one of the busiest ports in New Zealand.
The region’s economy revolves around tourism, farming, fishing and forestry.
Westland - on the West Coast of the South Island - is renowned for unspoilt scenery and its sociable, friendly people known as ‘Coasters’.
The region is a narrow strip of land that features glaciers, national parks and a world heritage area, lakes, rivers, rainforest, wildlife, fauna and flora.
More information:
New Zealand's culinary culture
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
|
| Hokitika Wildfoods Festival - the place to find rare gourmet treats like worms, huhu grubs, and wasp larvae ice-cream. |
|
|
|
