“Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody.” So said Samuel Pepys, diarist and gourmand, who reportedly buried a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano rather than risk it being destroyed by The Great Fire of London.???

I would probably do the same thing with my prized bottle of rose petal syrup, which was brought back from Turkey by a foodie friend recently. I have since heard that it could be extinct soon.? ?

During the year I so look forward to eating around the country, but one of the foodie feasts that I really get excited about is my favourite South African food festival, the Maynardville Carnival, which took place this past weekend. ? ?

My annual visit is a ritual. Among the many authentic food stalls are my handpicked favourites. ??

All year I dream of the Dutch tent, where I spend most of my time queuing for poffertjies: piping hot soft batter dumplings, piled on a paper plate with melting butter and plenty of sifted icing sugar. Then there are the herrings, specially flown in for the weekend, together with an array of liquorice, from extra salty to super-sweet.? ?

After that first course, we head to the Italian tent for a bowl of the best-ever spag bol whilst listening to some traditional live music, before packing up some canoli, those delicate deep-fried pastry tubes filled with cream cheese, chocolate and candied fruit. ? ?

The food is probably as traditional as you can get, cooked by families from their spectacular recipes. I have never tasted waffles, nor moules-frites, better than at the Belgian tent. The huge pots are crammed with soft, silky mussels, and the salty chips come with very good plastic bottle mayo, which I have never seen sold on our shelves. Next are the thick, light-as-air waffles, with a squirt of airy cream and chocolate sauce. And the fruit beers are great too. ? ?

Our second-last stop is always at little India, for a paper bag of spicy spinach palak bahjis, before we make one more visit to the Dutch tent for a plate of bitterballen: crispy fried beef croquettes with a dollop of mustard.? ?

See you at next year’s food pilgrimage! ? ?

Abigail?

Photographs: Max Barners