Esther Ashby-Coventry
15:19, Mar 15 2021

Multicultural Aoraki staff, from left, community connector Tracey Miron, support manager Mandy Wills and support case manager Katy Houston prepare for the International Food Festival at the Timaru Artisan Farmers Market on Saturday morning.

Cultural flavour is set to hit the Timaru Artisan Farmers Market, with a waiting list for stall holders.

The International Food Festival, boasting 84 food stalls will run in conjunction with the weekly market at George St on March 20, to celebrate Race Relations Day on March 21.

Multicultural Aoraki support case manager Mandy Wills said there would be 38 stalls at the market selling international foods ranging from Egyptian to Syrian, Japanese, and Mexican to South African, Chilean and Swiss.

“There will be lots of food. It shows how many people we have we were unaware of in the community,” Wills said.

As well as the stalls there will be 11 different performances from the Pasifika, Latin American, and Filipino communities as well as belly dancing and Tai Chi.

Traditional food brings back many memories for women spoken to by Stuff at a Multicultural Aoraki coffee morning last week.

Ada Tang Scarlett,​ of Beihai​ in China, said after women had their baby they were given zhu jiao jian - a dish made from egg and pork to help with lactation and prevent blood clots.

Made in a big pot with ginger, vinegar and sugar, new mothers would eat the meal for a month as it was high in protein.

“It is also street food because people like it. It is from Guangzhou,” Tang Scarlett said.

For the festival, Fijian Indian Arishma Sami will be making chicken pulao,​ a combination of rice and spices, and homemade doughnuts and savouries.

Indian women Ravinder Battu, from Punjab, and Saru Gedela, from Visakhapatnam,​ South India, will be providing mehndi (henna body art).

Battu said decorating women’s hands, arms and legs with the powder from dry henna leaf was a cultural tradition. Designs vary from leaves to peacocks.

When she married she had mehndi on most of her arm, hand and leg.

“It’s all about enjoyment,” Battu said.

It takes her about 20 minutes to complete a painting on a hand, creatingt designs from her imagination.

Multicultural Aoraki held a Community Day at the Southern Trust Events Centre last year to mark Race Relations Day and attracted more than 2000 people.

The International Food Festival outside the Landing Service Building is from 8.30am to 1pm coinciding with the Rock and Hop big show and shine gala day at Caroline Bay but Wills said she hoped the public would enjoy both events.

Learn more: stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/timarus-international-food-festival-has-waiting-list