“Dal is not just an ingredient common to many international countries, but in many parts of the world it is a staple food which nourishes millions of people every day in daily meals, while also having a place at feast times. It is held with great respect as it is seen as the food that is accessible to all – rich or poor.” Kalpna Woolf, 91 Ways
This year the British Dal Festival is coming to Bristol for a jam-packed week of celebration of all things pulses. Between the 19th of March to the 26th, the festival will introducing you to the traditional dals of the Indian subcontinent as well as dishes from around the world including refried beans of Mexico, fava dips of Greece and Britain’s pease pudding.
The festival aims to educate about the rich heritage, cultural significance and styles of dal as well as getting people to try something new from other continents as well as their own. Some of the planned events are;
- Running throughout the week a Dal Trail of around 20 of Bristol’s restaurants and eateries, including Thali Café, Gopal’s Curry Shack, River Cottage Canteen and Harts Bakery.
- Share stories and eat dal dishes from Bristol’s many language communities at a lunch for women and children with community organisations 91 Ways and Refugee Women of Bristol on Tuesday 20th March
- Enjoy a free dal lunch and buy ingredients for dal at Bristol Farmers Market around St Nick’s on Wednesday 21st March cooked up by The Thali Cafe and 91 Ways
- Come and grow dal by planting lentils, peas and bean in Bristol’s Millennium Square with Incredible Edible
- See demos from top chefs and dal experts at our Grand Dal Finale – including Romy Gill, Jenny Chandler and Krishna Dutta. Enjoy street food, market stalls, and children’s activities on Sunday 25 March.
- Use our free to download Dal Lesson Plan to run a dal cooking workshop and cross-curricular lesson at your school.
- Become a Dal Champion by entering your favourite dal dish in our dal championship!
Details of all these activities are available on www.britishdalfestival.com where tickets can be booked for the Grand Dal Finale.
