A world of flavours

Cultural Festival Food, Aaron and Linda Kirkland who make paella's with their company Paella Pan. Photo / Supplied

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity," - Voltaire.

The queue for the lavosh stand at Womad is half-an-hour long, but that's not stopping people joining it. The word has got out that this deep-fried Hungarian bread is to "die-for" and an "experience not to be missed".

A bit like the prawn and chicken curry, the Greek souvlaki, the Spanish paella... As the evocative drumming and singing of the Bedouin Jerry Can Band from Egypt fills the air, there is a wonderful sense of discovery as you taste and feel the flavours of the world.

Events like last weekend's Womad and the up-and-coming International Cultural Festival, on Sunday March 29 at the Wesley-Mt Roskill War Memorial Park, are opportunities to step outside your comfort zone and try something different on the food front.

The Cultural Festival is a huge free event showcasing nationalities from all around the world who have arrived here as refugees or migrants. It is a celebration of cultural diversity with more than 40 nations represented and more than 100 stalls showcasing music, arts, crafts, dance and - all importantly - food.

The festival was started in 1992 by Refugee Services, then a much smaller organisation made up almost entirely of volunteers. Initially a fundraising activity and a celebration of food for Refugee Day, the food was provided by the communities and the money raised helped with Refugee Services' resettlement work. It proved more popular year after year, the Auckland City Council became involved and a larger venue was needed. The festival moved to Potter's Park and became a council summer event. But still it grew, and from 2007 has been based in its current location and now includes an ethnic soccer cup, two stages, a food street and the inaugural "World Stories Tent".

The tent is a forum to show the work done to help people in need, including that of volunteers, whose time and efforts are crucial in enabling refugees to resettle successfully here. Refugee Services has so far assisted in the resettlement of more than 40,000 refugees and their families.

The importance of the festival lies in providing the opportunity for refugees and migrants to feel a sense of place and make a connection while showing the cultural variety they bring.

As Burundian refugee Jean-Paul Bizoza says, "If people see our culture, we feel like we exist. We need our culture to be valued and respected by those around us. The festival is about being proud of who you are."

Migrant communities involved include Latin American, Fiji Indian, Chinese, Croatian, Polynesian, Romanian, French, Punjabi, Greek, Dutch, Bulgarian, Taiwanese and English, and refugee communities include the Somalian, Eritrean, Tamil, Ethiopian, Burmese, Kurdish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Rwandan and Ugandan.

It doesn't take much to visualise the array of smells, noise and excitement!

This is not about exotic and fashionable ingredients as seen in glossy magazines - this is about food made from the heart. It is about people who consider it a privilege and a joy to provide a sensory experience, who consider it second nature to feed out of a sense of obligation and responsibility because that is how their social networks have survived.

You give, you receive and all are taken care of in a communal sense.

When I met the beautiful Tsehaynesh from Eritrea, a comment she made summed it up for me. "When we eat all together from the same bowl, it is because we love each other". Communal eating with the hands involves a level of trust and acceptance. It is quite a different experience from using cutlery - you feel the texture of the food.

So, what different examples of these fabulous cuisines can people expect? Try traditional roasted meat, fish, beans and salads from the Congo, Dutch poffertjes [pikelets], paella and crepes at the Spanish/French stand, BBQ goat and mutton curries from Jamaica, tamales and tostadas from El Salvador, meatballs from Romania, pig on the spit from Polynesia, baked cheese banitza and moussaka from Bulgaria, churros at the Latin stand, nasi padang and vegetable fritters from Indonesia, dhosas and sweet samosas from Tamil...

Feeling full yet? How about rice salad with crispy onions and coconut or spicy chicken noodle salad with carrot, cucumber and sesame seeds from Burma. And don't forget to make time to partake in the coffee ceremony being offered by the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities.

Pratima Nand from the Fiji Women's Society Inc. will be selling chole with bhatura and mango lassi. Chole is chickpeas cooked in a spiced tomato sauce and bhatura is golden puffed Indian bread.

Pratima has produced the first interactive DVD on Indian cooking in New Zealand and believes in sharing the important balance of protein, carbs and fat combined with interesting tastes and textures provided by her food.

Nik Posa, the vice president of the Croatian Cultural Society considers the event a time to teach people about Croatian food and customs. "Traditionally, professional musicians from Croatia would travel the world to teach song and dance using up to 40 different instruments. A tutor will be on hand at the festival to demonstrate some of these traditions while the famous cakes, biscuits and desserts are being sold." Nik loves the opportunity for his community to showcase the unusual presentation of their celebratory food. Easter, weddings, Christmas - no special occasion goes by without sweets being involved, using liqueurs specific to the coast such as cherry, plum and almond. Plus cakes made with olive oil instead of butter.

So, forget about breakfast - and make the most of what's on offer. You will leave enriched and enlightened on many different levels, knowing we are very lucky to have so much to celebrate in our diverse city.

* Auckland International Cultural Festival is on Sunday 29 March, 10-5pm at The Wesley - Mt Roskill War Memorial Park. Free.

* People interested in helping refugees by becoming a volunteer or by donating furniture go to www.refugeeservices.org.nz or ph (09) 621 0014.

Making time for the Eritrean coffee ceremony

The coffee ceremony is an integral part of Eritrean and Ethiopian communities. No grabbing a coffee on the go here - if you are fortunate enough to be invited to take part, make sure you have time, if not politely refuse and ask for tea.

At least an hour is needed to be involved in this meaningful ritual - time that allows people to take a load off - to sit and chat, share news, nourish friendships and give thanks.

The heady smell of frankincense and myrrh wafting through the air kicks things off. All preparation is done in front of the guests, satisfying the curious or the just plain nosy, such as me. A low table is laid and the raw green coffee beans are washed then put into a small pot called a "menkesh". While the beans are roasting they are constantly fanned to disperse the scent, mixed with the spice mix, around the room. When the oil begins to show on the beans, they are done, then they are tipped out on to a woven mat to cool.

Traditionally ground in a mortar and pestle [or in a coffee grinder these days], the beans are mixed with water and put into a small earthenware pot called a "jebena". It is placed on a charcoal stove to brew.

When deemed ready, small cups are prepared, a tiny horsehair coil is popped into the spout of the jebena to trap coffee grounds that haven't settled, and pouring begins.

Sugar is added, then everyone gets to taste the smoothest coffee imaginable. The coffee is served with a slightly sweet bread called "dabo kolo", broken into chunks and also freshly roasted popcorn to nibble on. This process is repeated three times - why a whole hour is needed - and a more relaxed one I haven't spent in some time.