A cheese platter at the Franschhoek Bastille Festival. Photo courtesy of the festival organisers.

Every year on Bastille Day, foodies don their berets and flock to Franschhoek to honour the area’s French heritage. (Read: consume cheese, artisanal bread, chocolate, olives and wine).

The main attraction of the weekend festival (on 11 and 12 July this year) is the official marquee, situated at the Huguenot Monument, where you can feast on fare from Franschhoek’s award-winning restaurants and wine estates. Tickets to the marquee are going for R200, which includes a complimentary tasting glass, a booklet of tasting coupons as well as a R20 wine voucher to be used on the day. Additional coupons can be purchased on the day. We hear tickets for Saturday are sold out, but there are still tickets available for the marquee for Sunday.

If you’re heading to the Franschhoek Bastille Festival, here’s our guide of dishes to try. (If you can’t make it this year, let this be a lesson to get tickets early!)

One of the stands in the food and wine marquee at the Franschhoek Bastille Festival. Photo courtesy of the festival organisers.

In the marquee

Bread & Wine
Charcuterie board of double-smoked garlic saussison sec, Spanish dry-cured pork loin and salamis.

Foliage
Barbecue beef brisket, forest mushroom and potato ragout.

Reuben’s Restaurant & Bar
Cured and barbecued pork belly with sriracha mayo.

Eiffel Tower cupcakes at the food and wine marquee. Photo courtesy of the festival organisers.

Haute Cabrière Cellar Restaurant
Prego rolls and kataifi prawns with chips.

The Restaurant at Grande Provence
Banting wrap of smoked Franschhoek trout with yuzu mayo, dill pickled cucumber, citrus and smoked caviar.

Terra Del Capo Tasting Room @ Anthonij Rupert
Soft-braised beef short-rib, served with creamy polenta.

The Restaurant @ L’Ermitage
A selection of tapas, including bitterballen, duck confit spring rolls and crispy pork balls.

Pierneef à La Motte. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

At participating restaurants

Missed your chance to get tickets for the food and wine marquee? Head to the following restaurants for a taste of France with these dishes from their Bastille Day menus.

Foliage
Smoked muscovy duck with ham hock and goose-liver terrine, pear-and-saffron chutney, and nettle brioche.

Pierneef à La Motte
Lemon and vanilla soufflé with a white chocolate and passion fruit sorbet.

The Tasting Centre at Rupert & Rothschild
Traditional bouillabaisse with rouille and a crispy baguette.