Explore the flavors of Asia inside the museums and on the National Mall.
Global Spice Lounge
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 11 AM – 5 PM
Local business Bazaar Spices creates a multisensory experience in which you can smell, taste, and touch classic spices used in Asian cuisine. Discover how these ingredients traveled through trade routes across land and sea. In addition, the Embassy of Bahrain invites visitors to experience traditional flavors by exploring cinnamon, the most aromatic of spices, with Bahraini chef Bassam Al Alawi and Bahraini artist Zuhair Al Saeed.
Photo: Duncan Artistry
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Event Location: Sackler, level B2, ImaginAsia Studio
Cost: Free and open to the public
Malulee’s Kitchen Pop-Up Library and Zine Making
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 11 AM – 5 PM
Browse a library of cookbooks and illustrated zines by local Asian American creators. Make your own DIY zine to take home, featuring artist-illustrated recipes for treats like mango sticky rice and curry puffs. This event is hosted by artist Margaret Huey and Malulee’s Kitchen, a project that seeks to provide a platform for Asian American artists to talk about food and culture.
Event Location: National Mall
Cost: Free
Savor Asia: Food Demo Tent
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 11 AM – 4 PM
Stop by the street food market for a behind-the-scenes look at inventive ingredients and cooking techniques from the Asian culinary diaspora. Watch engaging demonstrations by local and international chefs.
Flavors of Bahrain: The Embassy of Bahrain with Chef Bassam Al Alawi
Sunday, October 15, 3 pm
Flavors of Indonesia: The Embassy of Indonesia with Chefs Nugraha Adi Wardhana and Adit Biyantomo
Sunday, October 15, 2:15 pm
Flavors of the Himalayas: Chef Dorjee Tsering of Dorjee Momo
Sunday, October 15, 11 am
Flavors of Laos: Chef Bobby Pradachith of Thip Khao/Padaek
Sunday, October 15, 12 pm
Flavors of Asia and Peru: Chef Carlos Delgado of China Chilcano
Sunday, October 15, 1 pm
Event Location: National Mall
Cost: Festival attendance is free; food at the street market is available for purchase.
Street Food Market
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 11 AM – 5 PM
Stroll through an open-air food market to discover new and familiar culinary treasures. Created locally and inspired by Asian and Middle Eastern recipes, each delicious bite will transport visitors to destinations around the world. Come hungry to experience a wide variety of fragrant spices and handcrafted eats, and peek inside the kitchen during exclusive food talks and demonstrations.
Representing diverse traditions, DC-based chefs will each bring something special to share and taste. These food vendors will offer small, curated menus that tell a story about how their families have cooked and eaten for generations. In this lively atmosphere, IlluminAsia food stalls pay homage to bustling street markets worldwide.
Vendors
- Global spice lounge by Bazaar Spices
- Tea tastings by Ching Ching Cha
- Uyghur cuisine by Queen Amannisa
- Tibetan momos by Dorjee Momo
- Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine by Himitsu
- Asian-inspired beverages by Kruba
- Afghan cuisine by Lapis Bistro
- Pan-Asian bao buns by People’s Bao
- Sri Lankan rotis by Short Eats
- Hong Kong street food by Tiger Fork
- Middle Eastern street food by Z&Z
Photo: Farrah Skeiky/Dim Sum Media
Event Location: National Mall
Cost: Festival attendance is free; food at the street market is available for purchase.
Tea in the Courtyard
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 11 AM – 5 PM
Sample and purchase tea from local vendors throughout the festival in the contemplative space of the Freer courtyard. On Sunday, sip traditional Japanese green tea and watch tea being prepared in sessions led by local Japanese tea society Omotesenke Domonkai.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art
Event Location: Freer courtyard
Cost: Free and open to the public
Cookbook Signing: Farm to Table Asian Secrets
Sunday, October 15, 2017, 1 – 4 PM
Meet author Patricia Tanumihardja and hear about the recipes in her new book Farm to Table Asian Secrets. In this delightful cookbook, you’ll learn the secrets of vegetarian and vegan Asian cooking—how to blend flavors, textures, aromas, and colors to create full-flavored vegetarian dishes.
Patricia Tanumihardja is an experienced writer who reviews restaurants, profiles chefs and artisanal food producers, and writes about travel and food. She was born in Indonesia and brought up in Singapore before moving to the United States and settling in Northern Virginia, where she now lives with her husband and son. Growing up in several different cultures, she learned to appreciate a wide variety of foods and flavors from a young age and learned to cook as soon as she could tell the difference between garlic and ginger. As a writer, she sees the world through a multicultural lens and enjoys covering topics relating to food history and culture. She contributes to Edible Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Met, Monterey County Weekly, Sunset, and Saveur, and her debut cookbook was The Asian Grandmothers’ Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens. Tanumihardja also writes the Pickles and Tea blog in collaboration with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, showcasing contemporary Asian food culture in America.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Event Location: Sackler, level B1, shop
Cost: Free and open to the public