‘Must-visit’ NC event for foodies

VOTED by www.eatout.co.za as one of the “must-visit events for foodies” during August, the !Naba Food and Wine Festival, the Northern Cape’s first and only food and wine festival, will be hosted in Upington later this month.

During the festival, visitors will be treated to multi-layered culinary delights, local and national wines and live entertainment to showcase the Green Kalahari as one of the world’s premier food and wine destinations - with a focus on local talent of the highest quality.

The festival is named after the !Naba, referred to as “manna from the heavens”, as well as “the desert truffle”, that can be found growing in the Kalahari desert in the eastern section of the country.

Called both omatumbula in the north and the Nama name of !Nabas in the east, the Kalahari truffle is smooth like a potato and can be eaten raw as well as cooked in a variety of ways, from baking in searing sand to frying and incorporated in speciality recipes concocted by creative chefs in and around Upington.

Kalahari truffles grow close to the surface and are visible to the trained eye of truffle collectors as cracks and protuberances in the red soil. The hunt for these are a special treat as !Naba’s is only available 21 days after good rains in the months of March and April.

Now in its fifth year, the !Naba Food and Wine Festival will be held at the Upington Expo Grounds from August 31 to September 1.

This gourmet festival promises to astonish food and wine fundis by providing only the best local produce, as well as incredible products from outside the region.

The !Naba Food and Wine Festival is the first of its kind in the Upington region and captures the whole essence of the food and wine heart of the area.

The spoils includes local and national wines, craft beer, liqueurs, a wide range of food and food products, celebrity celebrations and music performances from Jan Rhaap (pictured) to a local group with incredible talent - all planned carefully to put the best of the Green Kalahari has to offer in the spotlight.

Exhibitors with top quality food, drinks and related products will be at the festival and food demonstrations, live bands and great music will make sure that visitors are entertained. !Naba recipes will be demonstrated and !Naba products will also be available.

A Blind Tasting Competition and the !Naba Creative Hub will keep the adventurous and the creative festival goers on their feet.

A new addition to this year’s festival is the !Naba Games presented by Crossfit Upington.

Entrance to the festival is R150 per person per day and includes a festival bag and wine tasting glass, as well as tasting coupons for the various stalls.

Children between the ages of seven and 16 pay R60 and preschool children receive free admission.