Jamaican recipe
How to make Festival
The whole island; popular at Hellshire Beach since the 1970s
A slightly sweet fried dough of flour and cornmeal, shaped into long ovals, crisp outside and soft inside. It is the classic partner for fried fish, escovitch fish and jerk, and is also eaten at breakfast.
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 100 g fine cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Half a teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- About 175 ml milk or water, with a few drops of vanilla
- Vegetable oil for frying
Method
- Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips.
- Add the milk a little at a time and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide into 10 to 12 pieces. Roll each into a sausage about 12 cm long and flatten it a little into an oval.
- Heat about 3 cm of oil in a deep pan to medium heat. Fry the festivals a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until golden brown all over. Take care with the hot oil.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with fried fish, escovitch fish or jerk chicken.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Festival is often described as a sweeter cousin of the round, savoury Jamaican fried dumpling.
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