CFINE held an event called ‘World Piece’ at our community kitchen Cook at the ‘Nook on the 18th of June in collaboration with some of Aberdeen’s refugee community. This was as part of Refugee Festival Scotland.
‘World Piece’ saw refugees and asylum seekers living in Aberdeen cook their own recipes and then serve the food to unique cultures from around the city to celebrate our diversity by ‘breaking bread’ together. It was a long, busy day in the kitchen, with loads of chat and laughter. With people dropping by to say hello, it really had the festival atmosphere.
The name World Piece is a play on words combining the concepts of 'world peace' and a 'fine piece' - Aberdonian vernacular for a sweet treat or cake.
Three chefs, Yosef from Ethiopia, Nabaz from Kurdistan, and Nebyat from Eritrea, cooked up a variety of dishes. These included Injera (a traditional East Africa Bread), spicy Kurdish okra and tomato soup, lamb dishes, beef dishes, and a selection of vegetarian sides!
The guys invited some of their friends from the accommodation they live in, some language tutors they work with, some staff from organisations that support them, and some members of the public. In the end approx. 50 people came along. The food went down a storm with compliments flying in hard and fast from the guests:
“The food, music and seeing everyone happy was incredible. Thank you for sharing a happy moment”
“The food was delicious! That meat was so tender, beautifully cooked”
"It was great that you got so many people together and made it possible for people to cook dishes from their countries"
As part of the evening, and to add a little entertainment, we invited friends from the ‘Melting Pot Collective’ to come along to eat with us, and to entertain us with their song and music. Music was played from Iran, Romania, Scotland, and more - this was the icing on an affa fine piece!
