Zarahemla Festival of Tastes

The Zarahamela Festival of Taste is a celebration of food in the city of the same name known for its hundreds of food stalls and cheap prices

We have to teach people how to eat these new ingredients.  By doing so in a tasting menu format or hors d'oeuvres format, we are able to widen the culinary palate of our neighbors in such a way that excites them. Once they are interested we can engage them in a dialogue about what food can be, which is critically important for us as we settle into our new home.

— Ofelia Carvelli, owner of the food stall Aroma

Origins

When the colonists first arrived on Deseret the Department of Culinary Arts was in charge of researching the flora and fauna of the planet and to seek out new ingredients for consumption. They found however that many colonists were skittish about trying our new ingredients, especially if they had no frame of reference for what they were eating.
In order to get the colonists excited about the new culinary opportunities of their new home the DCA held a food festival in the heart of Zarahemla. At this festival colonists could purchase hundreds of hors d'oeuvres or snacks and vote for their favorites. The event was a success and has been held annually since.

Notable Stalls

While one of the most exciting elements of the festival is seeing what new stalls are present, over time several stalls have made repeat appearances. Some of these have earned for themselves a planet-wide reputation for excellence. Some of these include:

• Taste of Copan,    known for presenting stereo-typically Latin American food using only ingredients that were native to Deseret. These include pupusas, empanadas, and tacos. They are famous for introducing the Desereti River Squid Taco.
• Aroma,    known for its hors d'oeuvres tasting menu. This stall was created by the crew of the ATCV [Insert Name Here] after their vehicle was destroyed in a mud slide. They are famous for their [insert name here] which is a a dish that the size of a quarter using a root vegetable that is found in the hills around Ocean Forest.
• Nayaain,    a recent appearance at the festival the and famous for being of Bhramaputran origin.  It is known for introducing several traditional dishes from Bhramaputra Prime and is a source of pride to many of the refugees.  Some of its most well known dishes are Shan-style rice, Sandesh, and Alur Dom.  Although it has not won first place at the festival yet it has won third and second several years in a row.  Nayaain has developed a dedicated fan base that is eager to see it win the top prize.

Tasting menus are NOT cuisine. We are here to create food and recipes that people will eat all the time, part of the foundation of our new society. We have no place for fancy restaurants that serve 27 course meals or some other nonsense

— Fjólar Gunnlaugsson