The Great Glorious Garlic Festival

Edited by: Veronika Potylitsina

When people think of garlic they usually think, “Man that stuff stinks”. But the Toronto Garlic Festival was far from that. It was great, glorious, garlic fun!

Hosted at the Artscape Wynchwood Barns, the 7th Annual Toronto Garlic Festival brought together garlic farmers, artists, chefs, garlic braiders and musicians all to celebrate this wonderful root vegetable in all it’s glorious forms. The festival was held last week on a beautiful sunny Saturday, running from 9AM to 5PM. It was bustling with people. Families came out to enjoy the warm weather as well as the delicious garlic treats. 

Attendees could treat themselves to a variety of garlic goods including garlic crepes, garlic fudge, garlic ice cream and garlic shots! In the mood to be adventurous, I tried out the garlic fudge made by the Garlic Pantry. The fudge was surprisingly really nice, with a sweet and salty taste. 

The food adventures didn’t end there though. Next up on my list was Death In Venice’s garlic ice cream. Though it tasted more like liquorice than garlic, the ice cream was the perfect way to tackle the hot weather. 

But my favourite garlic treat from the festival was the amazing garlic aioli served by Jamie Kennedy Kitchens. Served with fries, this condiment made my tastebuds dance and sing. The only downside was that it left me with really smelly garlic breath. 

Food was not the only thing festival goers could buy. Many stalls sold garlic in it’s pure form. What was interesting though was the extensive variety of types of garlic. From Chinese to Polish to Russian, people could learn about and purchase garlic from all around the world. 

What intrigued me the most about the garlic festival was the garlic braiding. An art that requires perfect timing and patience, garlic braiding is achieved when the garlic roots are freshly pulled out of the ground and green. At that stage, the farmer braids the roots together to create captivating garlic braids. 

All in all, the garlic festival was a great deal of fun and definitely something I would recommend to friends and readers. If you like food, garlic and good vibes mark this festival in your 2018 calendar!