Curry duck and Blue Food Fest

THE 20th edition of the Tobago Blue Food Festival begins today with a Curry Duck Lime at L’Anse Fourmi Bloody Bay Beach Facility.

The Curry Duck Lime, expected to begin at 9 am, precedes tomorrow’s grand festival, which will be held at the Bloody Bay Recreation Ground.

Established by the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation, the Blue Food Festival celebrates the versatility of the island’s blue cuisine.

The dasheen can be used to create a array of unique, mouth-watering appetisers, desserts, entrees and punches.

Guests can savour samples of the local chefs’ creations and enjoy cooking demonstrations, competitions and entertainment, free of charge.

George Leacock, chairman of the Tobago Festivals Commission, told Newsday the festival, which continues to attract thousands annually, remains one of the most eagerly-anticipated events on Tobago’s cultural calendar.

However, he could not say the extent to which the festival has contributed to the island’s tourism product.

“We are trying to manage it as efficiently as possible with the assistance of the communities that participate in it. And we have gotten a lot of positive feedback,” he said.

Leacock said the event is always oversubscribed.

“But those things are controlled by the village because each village is allowed a certain number of vendors.”

Last year, the Tobago Blue Food Festival was rated by the US Cable Channel CNN as one of the world’s best food festivals.