International Culinary Event 2021

Our most popular programme promoting the integration of Hungarian and international students in previous years was the international cookery evening, during which international students prepared  dishes from their home countries in the University restaurant kitchen, accompanied by a presentation of the cooking process and a description of the requisite ingredients. Together with invited Hungarian students, the cooking teams finally sat down together to consume the numerous dishes.

In March and April 2021, in a continuation of this event series, Széchenyi István University provided another great opportunity for international students to present the culinary specialties of their home countries. The opportunity to participate was announced in February 2021 and students were given until 21 March to submit their application.  Thirty-five students representing 14 countries indicated that they were happy to prepare their favourite or typical national dishes at the event.

As in previous years, we had planned for students to carry out the cooking in teams of four in the kitchens of the University’s canteen. However, the restrictions due to the Coronavirus imposed in March 2021 caused the live event to be cancelled.

In view of the success of the event in previous years as well as the positive student feedback, we were still determined to hold the Cooking Show. By changing the nature of the event - following epidemiological regulations, minimizing physical contact and moving it to the virtual space, we were able to plan for an occasion that would still attract participants.

We asked students to prepare the food of their choice in their own accommodation – either the Halls of Residence or their apartments – and subsequently to send us photos and videos of their activities

to share on the University’s internet and social media platforms. Sixteen teams participated in the programme. Students had initially to submit a list of ingredients for the specialities they planned to make. These were purchased by the event organizer partner, packed and labelled according to teams and handed over to the students by colleagues from the Centre for International Programmes. On the day of the handover of the ingredients, the event was documented, with representatives of the student teams confirming receipt on the registration form.

Students were requested to upload pictures and videos of the cooking process and the plated up dishes to a link. The uploaded files provided clear feedback that integration in the students' own micro-community was successful, as the positive atmosphere generated by the team cooking is reflected in the smiles on the faces of both Hungarian and international students.

You can find more photos about the event at the link below:

https://ipc.sze.hu/culinary-event-2021

Sponsored by EFOP-3.4.3-16-2016-00016 (Higher education institutional development, a common improvement of the quality and accessibility of the programmes at Széchenyi University)