Common language: gastronomy - Our international gastronomy series, the Taste of Pannonia, is launched

2023 is the year of the European Capital of Culture Veszprém-Balaton, so the University of Pannonia has launched a new video series on the university's YouTube channel in the spirit of cultural diversity. The series focuses on international students preparing national dishes of their home countries. In the first season, we will travel the world, from Panama to China, via Iran.

The series aims to promote cultural awareness and traditional gastronomy, as well as university life. During the cooking sessions, students share stories and memories of their homes and experiences in Hungary, and show viewers how to prepare national dishes using ingredients found in Hungarian homes.

In the first episode we meet Kevin, who brings us the flavours of Panama. A Master's student of the Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences of the University of Pannonia prepared "Arroz con Pollo" for us, exactly like his grandmother taught him. While cooking, Kevin tells us, among other things, what was the biggest culture shock for him when he arrived in Hungary. We also learn about a very interesting form of food tasting.

The second episode featured Alisa, a PhD student at the Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences. Alisa has prepared a very special Slavic cake for us, which is called "King's Cake". Together with learning how to make a cheesecake, we can also find out why this dessert is named so. Alisa  also tells us about her experience at the University of Pannonia and the differences between the Russian and Hungarian higher education systems.

Our latest episode features Zeyu, a PhD student at the Faculty of Computer Engineering.  "Hot and sour sliced potatoes" is a typical Chinese dish; if you ask for it when you enter any Chinese restaurant, you will be warmly welcomed, as it is not a dish that many people know. While preparing an excellent dish, Zeyu also sheds light on the relationship between one of Hungary's most important poets and China. During the cooking, Zeyu also tells us about the language difficulties he experienced in China.

In the fourth episode our guest was Naime, a PhD student at the Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences. Naime brought us the flavors of Iran, she made a kashke bademjan. We can gain more knowledge about Iran and also we will find out what was the only culture shock that Naime had to face. Also she tells us what is the biggest difference between Iranian and Hungarian universities.