Author: Matt Ingersoll

Egyptian food festival returns to Nashua

By Matt Ingersoll

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Following its cancellation in 2020 and a successful comeback year in 2021, this year’s Egyptian food festival will be bigger than ever. The event returns for a fifth year to St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua — formerly known as St. Francis Xavier Church — over three days, from Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 18. A full menu of authentic Egyptian entrees, sides and desserts will be available for sale on the church grounds.

“We are excited to hold it again,” Father Kyrillos Gobran of the church said. “[We have] bigger tents to accommodate more people, as the number has been increasing year over year. … I was surprised at the number of people that came down last year, but it actually went very well.”

The menu, Gobran said, is largely the same as in previous festival years with the addition of a few items. A variety of main course options will be available to choose from, including beef or chicken shish kebab platters that feature one skewer of meat per order with onions and green peppers. You can also get platters of kofta (skewered and grilled ground beef with chopped onions and parsley) and kebba (ground beef deep-fried in vegetable oil, with onions, bulgur, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper). All platters come with rice pilaf and your choice of a garden salad, tabbouleh or hummus, or you can order the skewers individually.

A few sandwiches are on the menu as well, including beef or chicken shawarma with Mediterranean spices, onions, tomatoes and tahini; kibda, or beef liver strips seasoned with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper; Egyptian beef sausage; and vegetarian falafel, featuring fried patties made of ground chickpeas with cilantro, parsley, dill, onion and garlic. Another available vegetarian option will be koshary, widely considered to be the national dish of Egypt. It features rice mixed with brown lentils, pasta, chickpeas, cumin-flavored tomato sauce and crispy onions.

On the dessert side, attendees will have the opportunity to try all kinds of specialty sweets and pastries, including baklava, zalabya (fried dough), rice pudding, and katayef, or a pancake-like batter filled with almonds, coconut flakes and raisins and covered in a light syrup. Other options will include items called konafa and feteer meshaltet, both available in two serving sizes.

“Konafa is a shredded phyllo dough type of dessert,” Gobran said. “Feteer meshaltet is a dough that’s pressed really thin and made into layers … and it goes into the oven [with] lots of butter in between. It’s very fluffy and it has a great taste to it. … That’s an authentic Egyptian dish.”

New to this year’s festival is a coffee and espresso station, while Gobran said a gift bazaar with various pharaonic souvenirs and other items is also planned. A children’s corner will offer activities like face painting and balloon art, as well as kid-friendly foods like ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy, he added. Themed gift baskets will be raffled off, and there will also be opportunities to tour the historic church during each of the festival’s three days.

5th annual Egyptian Food Festival
When: Friday, Sept. 16, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 18, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua
Cost: Free admission; food and drinks are priced per item
Visit: stmarycoptsnh.org
Event is rain or shine. Parking is available nearby at BAE Systems (95 Canal St.)

Featured photo: Courtesy photos.

News from the local food scene

• Pancakes in Pelham: Pelham’s Old Home Day, returning to the grounds of the First Congregational Church of Pelham (3 Main St.) on Saturday, Sept. 17, will include a special pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. inside the church’s Fellowship Hall. A full breakfast of pancakes — plain or blueberry — along with bacon, sausage, coffee and orange juice will be served. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for kids ages 8 and under. The breakfast kicks off an entire day’s worth of festivities in town that will include a parade, food trucks, live performances, a penny sale, a cornhole tournament and more. Visit pelhamoldhomeday.org to view the full schedule.

• Soup’s on: The Collins Brothers Chowder Co. (59 Temple St., Nashua), which offers homemade hot soups and chowders in addition to prepared meals, reopened for the season on Sept. 14. The takeout-only eatery usually features several soups and chowders that are available daily, in addition to different specials that will run depending on the day. Homemade comfort meals to go have also been available, like shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie and American chop suey. The Collins Brothers Chowder Co.’s current hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., usually through the winter and early spring. Visit collinsbrotherschowder.com or follow them on Facebook @collinsbrotherschowder.

• Easy as pie: Join the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) for the return of its annual Great NH Pie Festival on Saturday, Sept. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will be able to sample all kinds of pies from participating local bakers, who will be vying for the palates of a panel of judges. Apple, non-apple fruit, non-fruit and savory are this year’s adult categories, while there will also be a kids’ division for pie bakers up to 12 years of age. Other features of the festival include tractor rides, pie crust rolling demonstrations, visits with the farm animals, live music, a raffle and a silent auction. Admission is $15 per person (free for all pie makers) and $5 for kids ages 12 and under. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.

• Historical brews: The American Independence Museum is bringing back its Beer for History series inside the Folsom Tavern (164 Water St., Exeter) on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., with pourings from Londonderry’s Pipe Dream Brewing. According to a press release, the series will continue with guest appearances from Earth Eagle Brewings of Portsmouth on Thursday, Oct. 20, and the University of New Hampshire’s Brewing Lab on Thursday, Nov. 3. In addition to featuring pourings from a different local brewery during each event, Beer for History often features various colonial-inspired games and, occasionally, live music. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members. Kids and teens under 21 receive free admission. Visit independencemuseum.org.

• NHLC recognized: For the third consecutive year, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission has been named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics magazine. According to a press release, the national publication recognizes a new list of Top 100 Retailer Awards, featuring various off-premise retailers such as liquor stores or supermarket chains “demonstrating innovation, excellent customer service and superior industry knowledge.” NHLC, which placed seventh in this year’s awards, currently operates 66 Liquor & Wine Outlet stores statewide, according to the release. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.

News from the local food scene

• Chili chowdown: Join The Goat Bar and Grill (50 Old Granite St., Manchester) for its first annual chili cook-off on Monday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m., to raise money for the New Hampshire State Firemen’s Association. Attendees will get to try a variety of locally made chilis and vote on their favorite. Trophies will be awarded for the best chilis, and live music will also be featured during the cook-off. All chili entries must be submitted prior to the start of the event. Visit goatnh.com/manchester.

• Island tastes: The Somersworth Indonesian Festival returns to downtown Somersworth for its ninth year on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 6 p.m. The event features traditional Indonesian cuisine, along with an array of live cultural performances and a parade that highlights Indonesia’s seven main islands. The festival is organized by Indonesian Community Connect, a Somersworth-based nonprofit that hosts other similar fundraising events throughout the year. Visit indonesianconnect.org.

• Flavors of India: Authentic food and live performances are the highlights of the Indian Heritage Fest, which returns to Lowell Heritage State Park (160 Pawtucket Blvd., Lowell, Mass.) on Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 6 p.m. The signature event of the Gurjar Association of New England, Indian Heritage Fest features the opportunity to try a variety of freshly prepared Indian options from local vendors, along with live music and dancing, various children’s activities and prizes. Visit gurjar.org.

• Food trucks at the Village: Head to Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem) for a food truck festival on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. A wide variety of eats from local food trucks will be available, and live music is expected for the duration of the event. Visit tuscanvillagesalem.com.

• Smoked to perfection: Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. (298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) is scheduled to host its annual BBQ & Brews event on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m. General admission is $29 and grants attendees access to an all-you-can-eat menu of barbecue favorites, including slow-smoked meats raised locally and eating spent grains from Long Blue Cat’s beers. Tickets are $40 for VIP admission and come with two draft pours. Live music will also be featured. Visit longbluecat.com.

• Historical brews: Join the Pelham Public Library (24 Village Green) for “Brewing in New Hampshire: An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State from Colonial Times to the Present,” a program scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m., in partnership with New Hampshire Humanities. Presenter Glenn Knoblock will explore the history of the state’s beer and ale brewing industry from colonial days to today’s modern breweries and brew pubs. The program is available as an in-person or virtual presentation. Visit nhhumanities.org.