Our Festival of the Holidays Favorites

It is no secret that Epcot is known for its year round festivals, and the Festival of the Holidays is one of our favorites! This specific festival features culinary traditions from countries around the globe. With special seasonal recipes scattered throughout the World Showcase, fun holiday entertainment AND a Holiday Cookie Stroll, there is nothing not to love about this time of year in Epcot. While there are many Holiday Kitchens set up in the World Showcase, below you are going to find just a few of our favorites from this year. 

We always love a good Salmon recipe so we were drawn to the L'Chaim! Holiday Kitchen over between Morocco and France. Here we were excited to try the Smoked Salmon Potato Latke. At first glance I did not think it was going to be to filling however it pleasantly surprised me. This yummy dish with sour cream and capers was just $5.00. We should also mention the Sufganiyot (mini jelly filled donuts) were a great runner up as our favorite at $3.50.

We finished up and moved onto the Yukon Holiday Kitchen which you can find over in Canada. Here we really loved the Seared Scallops with Parsnip Silk, Apple Chutney, and Hazelnut Croquant. The scallops were tender and the flavor was spot on and for $6.00 we thought this was a win. Since this was our second seafood choice we also decided to try the Beef Bourguignon with Crushed Potatoes. The beef portion was very generous and easy to call a favorite at just $5.75.

Our third and final favorite selection was over at the Mele Kalikimaka Holiday Kitchen. This is no surprise since Hawaii is one of our favorite destinations on the planet, were always up to snack on some delicious Hawaiian fare. For $6.00 we tried the Lomi Lomi Salmon with Tomatoes, Onions, Salmon Roe, Yuzu Mayonnaise and Yucca chips. If you love raw fish, this dish is a must when you visit, the only thing I could say negative was I wish the portion was a little larger because I loved it so much. We also tried the Kalua Pork with Okinawa Purple Sweet Potatoes with Mango Salad. Not only was the presentation very pretty but the pork was delicious and was not dry. As you know, it can be hard to find a pork like this that is not dry. The pork dish was $5.25 and was a generous portion

The festival also has some great holiday merchandise this year. Below you will find our two favorite holiday merchandise pieces. The first, a holiday jersey featuring Chip and Dale with some comfy fleece type material on the bottom and the second piece is a delightful cookie jar that features the "Holiday Cookie Stroll" verbiage that will remind you of your time chomping on some of the sugary goodness while visiting Epcot during the holidays. 

If you would like to obtain more information on visiting Epcot during the Taste of International Festival of the Holidays then reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner here!