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Feast your way through Belarus: A guide to authentic food festivals
An archive photo
MINSK, 28 December (BelTA) – BelTA has turned to the National Tourism Agency to learn about where to sample authentic Belarusian cuisine.
Brest Oblast invites tourists to attend the musical gastronomic festival Luninetskiya Kliubnitsy (Luninets Strawberries). Traditionally, the festival features a strawberry parade with the King and Queen of Strawberries, along with a bustling fair. Visitors can also indulge in exquisite pastry.
One of the landmark events is the international gastronomy and ethno-festival Motalskiya Prysmaki (Motol Delicacies).This culinary competition celebrating the cuisine of the Polesie region is held every two years in August. The next festival is scheduled for 2027.
Every year in August, guests are welcomed to the gastronomy festival Skokauskiya Spasouki which features a costumed procession, an arts and crafts fair, a concert program, and a theatrical show.
Zhabinkauski Dranik is a new gastronomic festival. The agro-town of Khmelevo transforms into the capital of the Belarusian dranik: it is this region that has cultivated the most popular varieties of potatoes for 15 years. The festival is planned to be held annually in October.
The gastro-ecological festival Polesski Vyun celebrates the vyun fish native to the Polesie region, now on the verge of extinction. The mission of the festival is to foster a careful attitude toward nature and unite people in solving environmental problems. The program includes the fish soup contest Battle of Ladles, music, artisan workshops, kayak and boat trips, an outdoor market, and dishes of Belarusian cuisine. It is held annually in the village of Gorodishche in Pinsk District, in August.
The International Cranberry Festival is held in the village of Olmany, Stolin District. The event features a fair and tastings of cranberry desserts, an exhibition of berry-harvesting tools and swamp vehicles, a ceremonial awards ceremony for the best cranberry gatherers and processors, a guided tour of the Olmany wetlands, workshops and safety briefings on navigating swampy terrain. The program includes contests for the best Swamp Kingdom costume and the best cranberry dish.
Vitebsk Oblast is renowned for its Cherry Festival. Thanks to it, the town of Glubokoye holds the unofficial title of the Cherry Capital of Belarus. Guests are welcomed here annually in July.
The eco-gastronomic festival Cranes and Cranberries takes place during the cranberry harvest season at Yelnya, the oldest swamp, a habitat and transient hub of thousands of cranes and geese.
Sharkovshchina District hosts many gastronomic festivals such as Bulbyany Fest(Potato Festival), Yablochny Spas(Apple Feast), Paazerski Kirmash and Kletski z Dushami (dumplings stuffed with a mixture of meat and sautéed onions). Shumilino District is the venue for Bashnevskaya Ukha (Bashni Fish Soup) festival.
Mogilev Oblast invites visitors to the Cucumber Festival in Shklov. The festival celebrates the bountiful harvest, the land for its gifts an farmers. The festivities include folk revelry, singing, dancing, round dances, and fairs overflowing with fresh and pickled cucumbers.
SmakFEST, which features curated sets of cuisines from around the world, is hosted annually by Bobruisk in May and June.
The town of Dribin hosts Dribinskiya Tarzhki. Seeking to revive the 19th-century fair traditions it brings together artisans, performers, and guests from Belarus and abroad.
In Slavgorod, the Haspadarchy Syr (Homemade cheese) invites visitors to sample cheese made according to ancient Slavgorod cheesemaking traditions. The main focus of the celebration is homemade cheese, the local culinary brand.
In Gomel Oblast, Dnieper Fish Soup Festival is held in the town of Loyev. The event features competitions in fishing, wood sawing, team presentations, and relay races.
In Grodno Oblast, gastronomic events such as LIDBEER, the Cheese Festival, Ivye Tomato Festival, Batskava Bulka bread festival, Svyata Mlynarov flour milling festival and others have gained popularity.
December has been declared the month of gastronomic tourism in Belarus.
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