Around the world in 21 food tents: Top treats at the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival

Hungry for some culture?

What began in 1981 as a "Holiday in Old Augusta" street fair in front of city hall has blossomed like azaleas into the annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival downtown.

An ideal way to get a taste of the cultures that comprise Augusta is to visit the festival's many Global Village food tents. This year, the festival's website features 21 international menus filled with the favorite foods from around the world. For tickets and more information, visit artsintheheartofaugusta.com.

Here are all the nations, regions and territories that will have something cooking at Arts in the Heart:

China

Nearly 25,000 Chinese restaurants were open across America in 2023, according to market researcher IBISWorld. With such popularity, the loaded sesame chicken plate at the festival's China tent might taste like family comfort food.

But try this: The savory crystal shrimp dumplings. Har gow is a Cantonese-born mainstay of dim sum restaurants.

France

The nation's name invokes thoughts of legendary cuisine, but instead of coq au vin or ratatouille, the festival's tent keeps the menu simple, topped with always-popular pomme frites.

But try this: The jamón and cheese croissant. The flaky French pastry actually includes a taste of Spain with its thin slices of dry-cured ham.

Germany

German roots run deep in Augusta and they intertwine with food. Hildebrandt's, a grocery that evolved into a delicatessen, opened in 1879 and still serves its iconic sandwiches today. The festival's food tent is a worthy stand-in for customers eager to celebrate Oktoberfest.

But try this: The J?gerschnitzel Plate. Tender pork is covered in fresh breadcrumbs, fried golden brown and topped with a rich mushroom sauce. It's served with German potato salad, sauerkraut and a bread roll.

Greece

Mediterranean food has surged in popularity in the Augusta area over the past several years, not least from the city's biannual Greek Festival. The food tent's popular gyro is a menu staple each year.

But try this: The Athens Street Pita. Described as an "authentic sandwich wrap found on the streets of Greece," the new menu item contains your choice of gyro meat or chicken with feta cheese, fries, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce nestled in pita bread.

Guam

The tropical U.S. territory is an oasis of Chamorro cuisine, influenced by Spanish, Asian and American culture. Guamanian barbecue is a taste treat that few forget.

But try this: The Chamorro Bowl. If you're feeling spicy, skinless chicken thigh pieces are cooked in piquant sauce and served with yellow-rice pancit noodles and sauteed vegetables.

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India

Vegans and vegetarians, take note: This meatless tent at the festival packs fresh zest in every bite of food without feeling overwhelmingly spicy.

But try this: The Maharajah Platter. Go big or go home. This sampler platter includes two other items you also can order separately – masala dosa, or savory stuffed crepes, and samosa pastries.

Ireland

Irish immigrants comprised much of Augusta's population in the 19th century. So when you've been in a community this long, the food tent's operators know what the people want. Fish and chips are back, along with bangers and mash, or link sausages with mashed potatoes.

But try this: The Irish Whiskey Cake. Officially, a slice can't get you drunk, but if you still insist on finding out for yourself, there's no buying limit on the number of slices.

Italy

The familiarity of Italian food makes the festival's food tent for it one of the most popular. Get ready to stand in line for a meatball sub worth standing in line for.

But try this: Cannoli Nachos. Enjoy the drippy, drizzly fun of crumbled-up cannoli-shell nachos combined with sweetened ricotta cheese for a delicious dessert.

Jamaica

Caribbean cuisine is all about herbs and spices, and not the kind associated with a certain Kentucky chicken franchise. Choosing between the curry chicken or the jerk chicken at the festival's food tent might prompt a customer to simply order both. Entrees come with rice and peas, fried plantains and cabbage stir fry.

But try this: Oxtail. You can order it elsewhere in Augusta, but try it here first to appreciate the slow-cooked flavor of the marinated meat. Wash it down with a bottle of Ting, a popular Jamaican grapefruit soda.

Korea

Augusta's growing Korean population includes talented food ambassadors who have won over many local residents to the bold flavors created by spices and fermentation that form the backbone of Korean cuisine.

But try this: Bulgogi. The thinly sliced meat can be beef or pork. Beef bulgogi has a meatier, more savory taste, but milder pork can offer a better showplace for inventive flavor.

Laos

Do you like sticky rice? Not as much as Laotians. According to information from the World Food Programme, the nation of 6 million consumes about 377 pounds of it per-capita each year. They'll save some for you at the festival's food tent.

But try this: Basil sauce chicken, which comes with rice noodles and a spring roll. If you want a smaller sample, basil chicken pastry pockets also are on the menu.

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Latin America

Mexican food tends to bring more heat and Puerto Rican food brings more sweet. Both the country and the U.S. territory are sharing the same tent at Arts in the Heart to let visitors sample the best of both culinary worlds.

But try this: Alcapurria. Fritters are popular snacks in Puerto Rico, and these fritters are made with dough fashioned from green plantains and taro root, then stuffed with meat and fried.

Lebanon

Lovers of hummus, shawarma and stuffed grape leaves won't want to stray far from this tent's Mediterranean- and Mideast-inspired cuisine at the festival.

But try this: The beef kafta sandwich. Lebanese kafta combines ground beef with parsley, onion, salt, pepper and a seven-spice blend that the cooks on-duty might be persuaded to reveal. The skewer-grilled meat is served with lettuce, pickles and hummus wrapped in a pita.

Philippines

With more than 100 distinct ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippine archipelago, the indigenous influence can't be overestimated on the nation's foods, combined with the cuisines of other visiting foreign cultures through the centuries, particularly Spain.

But try this: Filipinos know superb ways to keep cool in tropical climates. Try halo-halo, a popular crushed-ice dessert made with either evaporated milk or coconut milk.

Samoa

The Pacific island nation enjoys food and it shows annually at the festival's food tent. "Dining local" might sound like new buzzwords, but Samoans have dined local for years. The cuisine makes the most of the meat, fruits, vegetables and seafood harvested from the nation's nine islands.

But try this: Mesai tunu pa'u, which is the mouthwatering Samoan take on grilled meatballs. Favor your sweet tooth? Try fa'i fa'alifu, which smothers a peeled banana in coconut cream.

South Sudan

The African region declared nationhood after winning its independence from Sudan in 2011. Its spot on the continent has allowed it to draw from tribal, Asian and Mediterranean influences in the evolution of its cuisine. Kabobs and stuffed sambusa pastries are the food tent's menu mainstays.

But try this: Agashei. The highly popular street food skewers marinated meat, coats it in a spicy peanut powder and grills it.

Sudan

It's the same as the South Sudan menu, right? Wrong. Before South Sudan seceded in 2011, Sudan was the largest nation in Africa at more than 728,000 square miles. That leaves plenty of room for food diversity.

But try this: Fatayer. The stuffed buns served this year will be filled with carrots, corn, green beans and peas; or with chicken, carrots, corn and onions, with "Nubian sauce."

Thailand

Augusta's first Thai restaurant, Thai Jong, opened at 2810 Washington Rd. in 1989 and closed in 2014, replaced by Curry Hut. That hasn't stopped the food from this Southeast Asian nation from gaining popularity around the area, though. Pad thai and pork buns are just some of the menu favorites.

But try this: Pad Kha Pow combo. Try several Thai items at once by ordering this dish: a basil chicken stir fry with fried rice, pad thai noodles and a spring roll.

Trinidad

Visiting this food tent could be worth your while for the delicious vegetables alone. Trinidadian cuisine employs takari, a technique of cooking vegetables in their own juices to better complement combinations of Indian spices. Meat-lovers can enjoy chicken, pork or goat either as entrees or sides.

But try this: Mango Anchar. The taste can be described as resembling a spicy pickle. A fresh mango is sliced into spears and cooked by sauteeing it in anchar masala, a toasted spice blend containing coriander, cumin, fenugreek, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and peppercorns.

Turkey

Turkish cuisine developed as both a reflection and an embrace of the same meats, vegetables and spices that form the base for Mediterranean and Middle East food preparation today. Gyros, kabobs and hummus top the food tent's menu this year.

But try this: Turkey is the festival's only food tent this year serving tabbouleh. The salad with a cool, fresh taste combines soaked uncooked bulgur wheat with parsley, tomatoes, mint and onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper.

Vietnam

Not too long ago, Columbia County had two popular Vietnamese restaurants slugging it out for customers across the street from each other. Few circumstances better describe the rising popularity locally of Vietnamese cuisine. The festival's food tent this year keeps it simple primarily with skewered meat, rice and sushi.

But try this: Sesame balls. The Vietnamese dessert of fried rice-flour dough isn't a show-stopper, but its subtle sweetness makes a tasty snack. A racquetball-sized sesame ball contains only about 140 calories, the equivalent of about two or three Oreo cookies.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Arts in the Heart of Augusta serving food to send you around the world