Nova is hosting a “Community Street Food Festival” on May 1, 2023, on the beach, where guests can enjoy a diverse range of authentic Asian-Pacific cuisines. The festival draws its inspiration from the Maldives’ rich history as a key port for traders sailing from Indonesia, India, and Arabia over 5,000 years ago, bringing cargoes of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and pepper.

Visitors to the festival can expect to taste traditional dishes from eight Asian-Pacific cuisines, including Maldives, Mauritius, Thailand, India, China, Morocco, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. They can look forward to experiencing a culinary adventure filled with flavorful and authentic dishes, as well as lively evening entertainment and beautifully decorated food stalls.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Maldivian cuisine, which features a tropical flavor that showcases the local cuisine’s gifts from the sea and coconut palm trees. Maldivian dishes are characterized by sweet and spicy flavors, passed down through generations. Visitors can expect traditional recipes with modern adaptations to cater to vegetarian and vegan preferences.

Guests can also visit the East African and Mauritius food stands, known for their bold and complex flavors influenced by African, Indian, Chinese, and European culinary styles. Traditional fresh salads, slow-cooked beef, and curry are some of the dishes visitors can enjoy.

At the Thai stand, visitors will encounter the traditional Thai flavors characterized by fresh herbs, spices, and ingredients such as lemongrass, limes, chilies, and fish sauce. They can choose from salads, curries, and classic desserts like Khao-Neow Mamuang fresh mango with sweet sticky rice or Khanom Ba Bin and grilled coconut pancakes.

The Indian stand offers a rich culinary heritage dating back thousands of years, with mouth-watering Paneer, Tikka Masala, veggies, and meats. For dessert, visitors can try Saffron Phirni, a rice pudding, and Maal Pua, deep-fried sugar-dipped bread.

The Chinese food stand showcases a cuisine with a rich history spanning over 5000 years, known for bold flavors and intricate cooking techniques. From spicy dishes to delicate dim sums, the cuisine incorporates soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and various types of rice and noodles. Visitors can enjoy sweet sesame balls topped with red beans for an unexpected, sweet sensation.

The Moroccan stand highlights the country’s vibrant food style, heavily influenced by its history and cultural diversity. Mixing spices, herbs, and fruits, the cuisine features meat, couscous, and hummus. Visitors can finish their meal with sweet pastries, such as Basboussa (Orange Cake) or Baklava.

Indonesian cuisine features regional diversity, aromatics, herbs, and spices, with key ingredients like turmeric, chili, lemongrass, rice, noodles, and tofu. Visitors can try popular sweet treats like Pisang Cokelat, fried bananas with chocolate sauce, and Kue Cubit, a sweet cake with chocolate and cheese.

The Sri Lankan stand invites visitors to try traditional seafood, meat curry, rice, and vegetables, made from cardamom, curry leaves, and coconut milk. All guests must try the traditional cream coconut custard Wattalapam and Bibikkan.

The Nova Community Street Food Festival 2023 promises to be an exciting and authentic culinary experience for guests to taste and appreciate the diverse flavors of Asia-Pacific cuisines. The festival will offer a delightful blend of tradition and modernization in its culinary offerings and provide an opportunity for visitors to discover new flavors and dishes from different cultures.