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Melissa Pearce

1. Dia de la Tradicion  (San Antonio de Areco, Argentina;  www.pagosdeareco.com.ar)
Any occasion is a good excuse for a barbecue  in Argentina, which boasts the world's  highest consumption rate of beef, at  68kg a year per capita. Head  two hours south by bus from Buenos Aires to San Antonio de Areco for the meat-eating orgy that takes place on  Dia de la Tradicion. The Day of Tradition is a national holiday and a celebration of the   gaucho (cowboy).   The  week-long festivities culminate with  a huge barbecue or  asado (you can eat as much as you like for about US$15).  This feast is traditionally held on  November  10 or the closest weekend.
2.  The National Fiery Foods Show  (Albuquerque,  United States;  www.fiery-foods.com)
Those who like to suffer for their culinary kicks can submit their taste buds to the  Habanero pepper's wrath at this combined trade and public event, which showcases myriad inventive chilli uses. The array of super-hot sauces on display continues to create the most buzz, debate and foolhardy expressions of chilli bravery. In snack foods,    you can expect to find everything from spicy ice cream to quail eggs to the ubiquitous tequila. The fair is held around the end of February.
3. Choco-Late  (Bruges,  Belgium;  www.choco-late.be)
All year round the rich aroma of chocolate wafts through the  World Heritage city of Bruges,  home to  45 chocolate shops and with its own official chocolate, the  Brugsch Swaentje  (Bruges Swan). Chocolate lovers are able to indulge their passions with creations by world famous chocolatiers at the annual event, held in  May. Round off your decadent trip with  a visit to a museum dedicated to the topic,  Choco-Story, situated in Bruges' historic  Maison de Croon,  a building dating from  around  1480.
4. Rotary Club of Annapolis Crab Feast (Annapolis,  United States;  www.annapolisrotary.com)
Maryland's standout seafood-gorging  event trumps upwards of 20 seafood festivals held each year in the state. This big block party at the   Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is a place to make friends as you crack the region's world famous blue crabs elbow to elbow. Speak to silver-haired crab pickers to  learn the right way to remove the precious meat.  Whatever you do, don't miss the soft-shell crab sandwiches. The Crab Feast is held at the beginning of  August.
5.  Salon International du Livre Gourmand  (Perigueux, France;  www.livre-gourmand.fr)
Several thousand cookery books go under the judicial eye at this biennial cookbook fair, held in the  Dordogne region,  in southwest France. More than 200 recipe writers  from around the world converge to observe trends  in cookery editorial and browse through submissions in about 18 languages. The Salon includes  round-table discussions, cookery demonstrations and dinners featuring both French and international cuisine. There is much sampling too of the region's specialities -  cepes (wild mushrooms),  poulettes (stuffed fillets of poultry) and truffles. This year's event will take place from November  14 to 16.
6.  Jornadas de  Exaltacion de la Verdura  (Navarre, Spain;  www.tudela.com)
Vegetarians, normally out of their comfort zone in Spain, will be  glad to learn of a vegetarian tapas festival that celebrates the crops of  Tudela. The  northern municipality is famous for growing more vegetables than anywhere else in Europe.  The two-week festival, which  takes place in  mid-April, involves themed restaurant menus, gastronomic competitions, seminars, cooking classes and tasting sessions. The kitchen of the Navarre  draws on its market gardens' rich harvest of asparagus, beans, peas, thistle, borage, capsicum, gem lettuces, tomatoes and artichokes. Savour the local wines too.
7.  Hokitika Wildfoods Festival (below left; Hokitika, New Zealand;  www.wildfoods.co.nz)
This eccentric one-day food festival  caters to adventurous palates and began as a humble celebration of the wild food  of the west coast  of New Zealand's South Island.    Different wild foods are introduced every year but  huhu grubs and whitebait are always in big supply.  This year's weird and wonderful range of offerings included:  punga  (silver tree fern);  lambs' tails;  horse patties; wild-game stir fry and venison heart slices;   and wasp larvae ice cream.  The event is held every  March.
8. The Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery  (St Catherine's College, Oxford, England;  www. oxfordsymposium.org.uk)
The Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery is an educational charity whose prime objective is to foster and encourage exploration of food history as a serious topic of research. This year's theme is vegetables.   When symposiasts' minds eventually turn towards hunger, they will be well-provided for with an Indonesian repast by  Sri Owen; a vegetarian thali (selection of different dishes) banquet designed by  Camellia Panjabi; and an Italian-themed lunch honouring writer Gillian Riley.  This year's event takes place from September 12 to 14.
9.  Shiretoko Banya Festival (below centre; Shiretoko,  Japan)
An evening feast of robust flavours, direct  from the  Sea of Okhotsk,  is held at Shiretoko Utoro Hot Springs, in northwest Hokkaido. Fresh seafood and mountain products are charcoal grilled to order and diners can experience the convivial atmosphere of a  Shiretoko fisherman's banya (workplace or hut), sitting cheek by jowl at long benches.  Hokkaido's agricultural produce is of exceptionally good quality, too.  The island is also home to some of  the country's finest sakes, the most famous being  Asahikawa's Otokoyama. This year's event will be held from October 18 to November 18.
10. Salone del Gusto (below; Turin, Italy; www. salonedelgusto.com)
Devotees of responsible production and slow food prove their point at this event, which encourages all that is good, clean and fair.  The biennial festival, which will be held this year  from October 23 to 27,  includes taste workshops, cooking demonstrations from renowned chefs, educational programmes for children and adults, conferences and areas dedicated to ethnic cuisines.    An intriguing pavilion is the one for endangered foods, comprising such extraordinary products as coloured Peruvian potatoes, yak milk cheese made by Tibetan monks and  Monreale white plums from Italy.



Food festivals