The time is upon us again, my friends! The Epcot Food and Wine Festival will begin in just a couple of weeks, and I’ve decided to share my excitement by counting down to the Festival with a look at the International Marketplace booths that will be located around the World Showcase Lagoon!
For those who haven’t had the chance to go to the Festival, one of my favorite parts are the dozens of International Marketplaces — little booths, or kiosks, set up that represent a specific country or region. Each booth offers a short menu of tasting plates and drinks from the country or region represented. These tasting items cost anywhere from $2-$7, so they’re a great way to enjoy the Festival without breaking the bank.
Today, I’m going to highlight the representative menus from Australia, Brazil, and Canada!
Grilled Lamb Chop, Red Wine Sauce, Murray River Sea Salt as served at Food and Wine Fest
Australia
This year, Australia is highlighting a couple of the same items as they did last year, but they’re also bringing in an interesting dessert! Here’s the full menu for Australia:
- Seared Barramundi with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes,Arugula, and Lemon Oil
- Grilled Lamb Chop with Roasted Potato Salad and Red Wine Reduction (photo below from Tables in Wonderland 2010 Food and Wine Festival Preview)
- Lamington (sponge cake dipped in chocolate)
- Rosemount Traminer Riesling
- Marquis Philips, Shiraz
- Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet
- Nugan Estate Riverina Chardonnay
I can highly recommend the Grilled Lamb Chop — it was one of my favorite festival items last year!
This year, the Australia booth will be located right between Morocco and Japan, right next to the Food and Wine Festival Merchandise tent.
Click here to see our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Australia Booth Page with Photos.
Pork Skewer with Farofa
Brazil
Brazil returned to the Festival in 2009 with an incredible menu, and they’re bringing most of it back this year! Here’s the full 2010 menu:
- Grilled Pork Skewer with Farofa
- Shrimp Stew with Coconut and Lime
- Leblon Frozen Caipirinha
I wasn’t too impressed with the grilled pork skewer last year, but heard great things about the shrimp stew!
This year, the Brazil booth is located right at the entrance to the World Showcase Promenade as coming from Future World, directly across the lagoon from the American Adventure pavilion.
Click here to see our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Brazil Booth page with photos.
Polenta and Sausage Appetizer -- as served in the restaurant
Canada
Always a favorite booth among Food and Wine Festival guests, Canada offers some dedicated standards (cheddar cheese soup) as well as new favorites (sausage and corn polenta and nanaimo bars). Here’s the full 2010 menu:
- Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
- Maple-Glazed Salmon with Lentil Salad
- Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta
- Nanaimo Bar
- Moosehead Beer
- Vidal Icewine
- Chateau De Charmes Riesling
- St. David’s Bench Vineyard Merlot
I am eagerly awaiting a sample of the nanaimo bars! These decadent goodies aren’t very well known in the states, but they are truly outstanding (assuming they don’t give you a heart attack mid-bite!). The sausage and sweet corn polenta is an exciting prospect as well; it’s a dish I adore at Le Cellier, Epcot’s Canadian table-service restaurant.
Click here to see our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Canada Booth page with photos.
Stay tuned for more booth highlights as we continue to count down to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
To see the rest of the booths, including full menus and photos when available, check out our Epcot Food and Wine Festival International Marketplace Booth Menus and Photos Guide. For more information on the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, check out our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Index.
What booth are you most excited about visiting at this year’s Festival? Let us know in the comments section below!
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I looked it up, and Wiki has a nice blurb, but can you provide a little more detail (esp photos) of the Nanaimo Bars?
I’ve had Chateau des Charmes riesling and can recommend it. Like you, I wasn’t a fan of the Brazilian pork skewers. Everything else sounds wonderful, and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the stoke, AJ.
Can’t wait to try everything! I loved the lamb chops last year and am excited to have a bunch again this year 🙂
I just have to say thank you for doing this primer! As a first time visitor to Food and Wine, I have a medium idea of what to expect, but I think this primer will definitely help me plan a lot better!!! Can’t wait for more!!!
Barramundi is from the perch family I believe. I’ll have to try that. Here in New England we get a lot of sea fish. I don’t often have river fish, especially ones native to Australia which is exactly on the other side of the globe. See, new things! That’s why I’m so excited to be going!
Brazil doesn’t have anything that interests me. It seems like there is an abundance of shrimp dishes at the stands this year. You can shrimp around the world!
I might skip Canada as well. Again, being from New England is part of what works against them here. Maple salmon – had that plenty of times. Cook it myself even. That soup will always be available at Le Cellier, and when i drive up north I can get a Nanaimo Bar. I want to save my stomach for the new and unusual.
Bring on the new flavors! Looking forward to the next post!
The Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup sounds somewhat interesting.
Any idea if the UK is going to be represented this year?
Neil — Check it! http://slicemagazine.blogspot.com/2009/03/cookin-in-canada-nanaimo-bars.html
Ro — When will you be there this year?
Jenn — I loved the lamb chops too!! I’m so excited to try more this year than I did last year!
Rikki — I aim to please!! 🙂 There’s more where this came from!
GG — I think there will be plenty of new, but maybe not too much “unusual” for you! You’re quite experienced! Can’t wait to hear your take on the festival.
Josh — They’re famous for their cheese soup! Ireland is represented, but not the UK, oddly…
I’ve never been to Disney in the fall and I probably never will (I’m a teacher)… so no food and wine for me. But it’s funny to think that people wouldn’t know what a nanaimo bar is…. they’re like THE staple of wedding/baby showers, post funeral receptions, etc… But then again, I’m Canadian haha. Frankly I’ve had a TON of maple-glazed salmon and it still doesn’t get old, it’s one of my favourite meals ever! And the sausage polenta thing looks good… is that Canadian? I’ve never had polenta of have heard of anyone to make polenta in my life! Maybe from a certain section of Canada? I thought it was a southern American thing, but I really know nothing about it.
I really don’t like shrimp but I would probably try that stew… I LOVE coconut!
Gosh I wish I could go 🙁 Eating my way around the world is my very favourite past time (I love food, oh so much) and some new things to try would be wonderful!
I can hardly wait to get one of those lamb chops again this year! yum! And now I will be eagerly awaiting a chance to try the Nanaimo Bar as well!