Empanada festival celebrates a taste of culture

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on April 27, 2023.

Herald photo by Justin Seward The Corazon Salvadoreño dance group performs a traditional Salvadorian number during the Empanada Festival on Saturday at the Multicultural Centre.

The Multicultural Centre celebrated the annual Empanada Festival this past weekend.

The Empanada International Festival is a local initiative to celebrate the world’s most famous street food and countries that have their own version of it.

Empanada are pockets of dough (typically corn flour) stuffed with sweet or savory fillings and can be baked or fried.

The festival’s focus is to gather all types of empanadas in the same setting and display the mosaic of culture in the community.

“We got our vendors from different countries and we bring entertainment so people can enjoy and obviously taste some great food,” said festival organizer Omar Duenas.

The event had vendors from Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and other countries.

“It’s really important because we can bring multiculturalism to the community and we can try to bring Latin American culture as well. So it’s nice to see the community coming together and celebrate this type of events,” said Duenas.

Patricia Hernandez was making and serving food from El Salvador such as pupusas, which is pork, cheese and beans in a tortilla and pasteles, which is beef, potatoes and carrots with a side of curtido – a vinegar slaw.

“Very popular,” said Hernandez.

“That’s No.1 in our country. Everybody (that’s) tried pupusas, they (are) always talking about that is delicious. And when people, (when) they go to travel to our country, they (are) talking about all the time about the pupusas.”

Hernandez thought the Festival was a very good opportunity to know more about different country’s food.

“It’s growing,” said Hernandez on the culture food scene in Lethbridge.

“I have a lot of people; they ask me why I don’t have my restaurant and really I’m busy in another way. But I have the opportunity in summer time with Canada Day, Latin Fest, Empanada Fest, Heritage Day. So I always am there for almost five years now. So that is good.”

There were food, drinks, entertainment, music, games and a market to enjoy all afternoon.

April 8 is the actual International Empanada Day.

Organizers said the event had attracted 700 to 800 people by early afternoon.

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