The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays 2019 ran from November 29th through December 30th. This festival gives guests the opportunity to experience many different international food booths, international storytellers and learn about many different cultures. Now I am of course going to focus on the food that we tried from the booths. However here is a little information about this Epcot Festival. This festival is not solely about the food – not even for me. The Festival of the Holidays is full of things to do and experience. The main draw for the festival is the Candlelight Processional, a celebrity narrator recalls the nativity story accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a huge choir, this is a tradition for many families as is genuinely quite a moving experience. Each of the pavilions (countries) around showcase lagoon has an entertainment offering. Some are bands and vocal groups, some are performers, such as the lion dancers in the China Pavilion and others have storytellers. The storytellers bring traditions to life and explain the history behind some of the festive traditions of these countries. I found the storyteller to be particularly fun and interesting and found it interesting learning about how the festive season is celebrated around the world. The festival also offers activities such as the Chip and Dale Christmas Tree Spree, a scavenger hunt that you can purchase a map for. There are many other offerings at this festival including a gospel group and festive overlays for classic attractions and The Voices of Liberty become the Dickens Carolers and perform festive songs. Now onto the festive food.
American Holiday Table
This food booth is located in the America Pavilion and offers food and drink that is traditional to American holiday celebrations. We tried the Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Cranberry Sauce. This was good, the stuffing for me was the best bit. I enjoyed the gravy and cranberry sauce as it added tang and richness and some needed moisture. The mashed potato they did well, it was well seasoned and creamy. I did find the turkey to be slightly on the drier side, but that can be forgiven if you’re feeling the holiday spirit.
We also picked up a Gingerbread Cookie here. This was not my favourite. The spices in this gingerbread cookie didn’t feel fantastically balanced. The texture was soft almost bendy which I didn’t find particularly pleasing. I wanted it to either be thicker or slightly harder. If you are looking for a cookie there are better ones at Epcot than this one.
Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
Located in the Germany Pavilion Bavaria kitchen often has a big queue. We picked up a better cookie here, the Linzer Cookie. The raspberry jam filling was oozy and the powdered sugar went everywhere. This was definitely messy to eat – but very enjoyable. The texture was crumbly and a good shortbread biscuit. A good treat, not over the top sweet, definitely shareable, good option.
Shanghai Holiday Kitchen
In the China Pavilion you will find this holiday kitchen booth. Here there were a couple of things I wanted to eat however restraint was exercised and we picked up the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun with Fortune Cookie. The bao bun was super soft and a fantastic vehicle for the beef. This really was delicious. The beef had a great depth of flavour and super tender. This was not spicy at all in fact it was almost sweet. The sauce had notes of teriyaki. There wasn’t a lot of soy so it was not overly salty. I really enjoyed this. A lovely super savoury snack, that was a mix of textures definitely something I would get again. The fortune cookie was dry and definitely not the best one you could have but I am yet to find a fortune cookie I do not get along with.
Tuscany Holiday Kitchen
Journey to the Italy Pavilion and you will find the Tuscany Holiday Kitchen. Here we grabbed ourselves Crespelle di Mele: Cinnamon Apple Fritters and Vanilla Sauce Drizzle with Confectioners Sugar. These were light doughnuts with pieces of chopped apple within the dough. Texturally these were great super light and fluffy. Flavour-wise nothing to write home about, there really was not much flavour. You could absolutely feel the different textures in these, however I wouldn’t get these again as without flavour I question as to whether they are worth the calories. There are much better things you can have at the Festival of the Holidays and I would encourage you to do exactly that, try something else.
Sapphire Holiday Kitchen
It is no secret that my fiancée and myself love Moroccan food. Just take a look at my recipes and you will find Moroccan inspiration. Here at Sapphire Holiday Kitchen we opted for the Grilled Lamb Kefta Kebab and Grapes with Euro Cucumber, Red Pepper, Pickled Pearl Onions and Harissa-Cilanto Dressing. Now that is a long list of ingredients but you can believe me that this was a really great snack. The lamb had a depth of aromatic spice that brought you straight to the Mediterranean. The texture was good and the bread was soft and slightly warm. The grapes brought out the sweetness of the lamb and the euro cucumber and pickled onions brought freshness and tang. This was a well thought out dish and a well-cooked dish. Definitely one of the ‘best of the fest’.
Refreshment Port
Not technically a Holiday Kitchen Festival Booth as the Refreshment Port is a permanent location in Epcot. They serve different poutiness and they had a holiday version. We, of course, tried the holiday version, it was French Fries with Turkey, Gravy, Cranberry Relish and Crispy Onions. Now, what’s not to love from that list? Chips and gravy is a staple in the North of England and being from the north, it would be impossible for me to not enjoy this. There was a good amount of saltiness in this dish from the fries as well as the gravy. The turkey in this was not a thin carved slice there were good chunks and it was not dry. The cranberry relish was more liquid than I expected but it was very flavourful. The crispy onions added some fantastic crunch and lovely sweet note. This was the largest portion we got; it was also the most expensive. But this could easily be a meal for one person or a filling snack for two. Definitely worth getting if you find yourself at Festival of the Holidays.
La Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen
Finally I am taking you to the Holiday Kitchen booth located in the France Pavilion. This booth will usually have a line. They have some great offerings. Every festival they bring out great options. Usually you can find one of the must do drinks of a festival here. We grabbed ourselves the Bouchée à la Reine Traditionnelle: Turkey and Mushrooms in a Veloute Cream Sauce served in Light Puff Pastry. This was the standout for us. In fact we ended up having many many conversations about this dish. The turkey was so moist and flavourful, – not easy when you are cooking vast amounts of turkey. The mushrooms added so much depth to the creamy veloute sauce. This is a dish that I have promised to recreate for my fiancée – that’s how much she enjoyed it. The pastry was crisp not soggy at all and was supper flaky and light. This dish is one of the best things you can get from the Festival of the Holidays. I recommend you grab one of these yourselves, as this is a regular that has been appearing at the Festival each year.
This was our first time experiencing the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays and has jumped up the list to be one of our favourite festivals at Epcot. The magic of the festive season, the food options, the entertainment and even the decorations all add to the experience you have. This felt very family friendly; sometimes, in my opinion, the Food and Wine Festival can be dominated by adults attempting to drink their way ‘around the world’. If you find yourself in Walt Disney World during the holiday season you should check out the Festival of the Holidays and learn about how different cultures celebrate the season and what food they may eat. Hungry for more Epcot Festivals? Check out my Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival Post. If you want more festive Disney food take a look at the other food we ate on our December trip to the most magical place on earth.
