Cabbage rolls reign supreme in Folklorama Food Fight

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This article was published 17/08/2015 (3695 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Over Folklorama’s two-week run, 16 pavilions went head-to-head in the first Free Press Folklorama Food Fight.

The premise was simple: I tasted a signature cultural dish from each competing pavilion and you voted for your favourites. I felt like the titular insect from Eric Carle’s classic picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but this assignment was often as educational as it was tasty. It got me thinking more deeply about a variety of issues, including food as it relates to colonization, as well as the ways in which traditions are shared, passed down and modified.

It was also just fun to match up 16 disparate dishes and see where Winnipeggers’ culinary allegiances lie. Ultimately, the battle came down to two eastern European favourites: Ukrainian varenyky (boiled perogies) and Hungarian cabbage rolls. It was a tight race, but it was the sweet-and-sour, paprika-spiked cabbage rolls that won the Battle Royale.

“We are very proud and our volunteers will be over the moon as this is a great reward for their hard work,” said Liz Kovach of the Hungary-Pannonia Pavilion of the big win. “We made our food fresh daily and cabbage rolls in particular require a lot of work. The process takes time as the cabbage needs to blanched and softened before they are ready for the delicious filling, rolling and baking. We received many compliments through the week and, if my count is correct, about 1,800 were made.”

Indeed, based on what I tasted, the volunteers at the Hungary-Pannonia Pavilion gave 110 per cent and left it all out on the table. Congratulations to them as well as all our Folklorama Food Fight challengers, who all brought their A-game.

Folklorama 2015 wrapped on Saturday.

 

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca