Full details have now been announced of the first British Dal Festival – a week of events across the city of Bristol that will take place between 19th and 25th March.
Dal is any split pulse (lentil, bean or pea) or pulse stew or soup. The Festival will celebrate the magic of traditional dals of the Indian subcontinent alongside other pulse-based dishes from around the world, from the refried beans of Mexico and fava dips of Greece to Britain’s pease pudding and mushy peas.
The focus will be on the cultural richness, flavour, and affordability of dal as well as its contribution to health, nutrition and environmental sustainability. In particular the Festival will highlight pulses grown in the UK, such as fava beans and split yellow and green peas, which can be used as the basis for dal.
The British Dal Festival will offer many opportunities to share, enjoy, grow and learn about dal:
- Take a Dal Trail 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
- Grow dal by planting lentils, peas and beans in Bristol’s Millennium Square with Incredible Edible
- See demos from top chefs and dal experts at the 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 the festival’s 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 the dal championship!
Details of all these activities are available on www.britishdalfestival.com where tickets can be booked for the Grand Dal Finale.