Not Only Colorful but Also DE-licious
MÁRCH 28, 2017 - 16:37 The event called International Food Day is going to be held at the University of Debrecen a week later than originally planned, on May 5th. The scheduling has been changed due to the unfavorable weather conditions forecast for the end of April.
The University of Debrecen is proud to cater for the largest international student body in the nation among Hungarian institutions of higher education. At present, there are more than four thousand students enrolled here from abroad, and they are all too eager to offer a taste of their respective national cuisines soon. However, instead of the end of April, this year’s International Food Day is going to take place on May 5th.
A year ago, the bill of fare offered by international students at the annual culinary feast hosted by the University of Debrecen consisted of the national dishes of countries and regions including Nigeria, Japan, India, Palestine, and Sweden. The more than five thousand visitors at the full-day event witnessed as many as a hundred international students from 15 different countries prepare their national food specialties. These figures in 2016 broke all the previous records associated with the gastro festival sponsored traditionally by Debrecen’s ISU (International Student Union).
In addition to the exquisite flavors and aromas, the international students from all over the world also showcased their various cultures by way of displaying their authentic national attires, flags, music and dance. In the end, a panel of five jurors decided that the menu prepared by Palestinian students was the best of all, while Team Iran and Team Turkey came in second and third. The international students announced that, just like on earlier occasions, the entire revenue of the event would be offered for charity.
International Student Union, the part of UD’s Student Self-Government incorporating international students, which is the first of its kind in Hungary, has announced its upcoming gastronomical festival called International Food Day for the twelfth year in a row. Due to unfavorable weather conditions forecast for April 28th though, the event has been rescheduled to take place on Egyetem tér a week later, on May 5th.
Press Office – TH
Record at the Food Day!
International Food Day, the gastronomy festival of international students at the University of Debrecen, had record attendance this year.
Sushi, mint chutney, Swedish hot-dogs,kebabs, baklava, vegetable couscous, shirazi salad, traditional tahini cake and rice pudding, as well as many other special dishes and an exciting cultural diversity awaited visitors to the event held at the University of Debrecen on 22 April. The International Student Union, the part of the Student Government incorporating international students, which is the first of its kind in the country, held its gastronomy festival called International Food Day for the eleventh year in a row. At the full-day programme, approximately a hundred students from 15 countries prepared their national dishes. More than five thousand visitors tasted the national specialities.
“This is the largest event jointly organized and attended by both Hungarian and international students. Our main objective is to promote cooperation and understanding between the nations also through this event,” said Zoltán Kovács, commissioner for the president of the Student Government.
International students, more than four thousand in number, study at all 14 faculties of the University of Debrecen. The highest number is at the Faculty of General Medicine. László Mátyus, dean of that faculty, welcomed the students at the opening ceremony. The rector of the university, Zoltán Szilvássy, underlined in connection with the festival that there is a huge interest toward the programmes offered in Debrecen, which now means not only the area of medicine, but also engineering and agriculture, which show a constantly increasing number of applicants.
“Three to four times as many students wish to study medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at our university than we are able to admit. Currently, the number of students enrolled in our programmes with English as the language of instructions is around 3,000, and we have more than 10,000 prospective students interested in enrolling. A special need of these programmes is that they cannot exist either without patients, or without teaching staff able to teach medicine in foreign languages. We have the physician faculty members, but the number of practical training places is limited. However, the integration and cooperation between health care institutions expected in the near future may provide the necessary background. Within the city, the integration of Gyula Kenézy Hospital and the university will bring a significant increase in the places of training. In addition, in connection with the training of tuition-paying students, we also plan to make our cooperation closer with large county hospitals in the area of attraction of the university,” said Zoltán Szilvássy, rector in a live report from the venue of the festival in Campus Radio.
Visitors at the International Food Day had a chance to sample the national dishes of the teams from fifteen countries. The Indian team prepared fried rice and chicken curry, the Japanese made sushi, the team from Jordan chose a Beduin specialty from lamb, while the Egyptians offered rice pudding. The Palestinian team made hummus and falafel, while the Spanish cooked paella. The Israeli team had vegetable couscous and traditional tahini cakes, while the Swedes put their special hot dog on the table; the most popular dish of the local team was the traditional Hungarian fair food called “lángos” (fried dough). At the event of special, festival-like atmosphere, the international students not only prepared some of the most delicious dishes of their countries, but also showcased their cultures by way of authentic attires, flags, music and dance.
Zoltán Bács, chancellor, said in connection with the event: the event has grown beyond the capacities of the current location, and so it is possible that, in consultation with the organisers, they will find a new venue for next year where the teams have more space and a more suitable environment for introducing their gastronomy and culture.
The national dishes were evaluated by a five-member jury. The first prize was won by the Palestinian team, with Iran and Turkey coming in second and third. The international students offered the entire revenue of the event to the Foundation for Children with Leukimia, operating at the Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology.
DEHDK PR and Press Office – SzB
More pictures of the event in the photoalbum.
International Dinner Contest
There were national dishes from as many as twenty-one different countries prepared for this year’s International Dinner. The bill of fare offered for the Hungarian and international students at the traditional gastronomical feast included specialties from Azerbaijan, Mexico, and India, in addition to the staples of Hungarian cuisine.
The international gastro night, held traditionally in Klinika Mozi, has become an essential and inevitable point on the annual agenda of programs hosted by Debreceni Egyetem Hallgatói Önkormányzat Külügyi Bizottsága [verbatim: Foreign Affairs Committee of the Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen] over the years. The event for trying national dishes in the disguise of a contest was originally created with the aim of bringing Hungarian and international students closer to one another so that they could get to know better the cultures and cuisines of the various nationalities the representatives of which are present at our university.
On April 4, the culinary creations were tried, voted for, and the best three were then awarded prizes to on the basis of the opinions of the almost seventy contestants as well as of the three jurors delegated jointly from Nemzetközi Iroda [International Office] and DEHÖK Külügyi Bizottság.
The third prize went to Team India, who prepared a piquant and spicy lentil ragout served with naan bread. Team Turkey came in second with their stuffed grape leaves and sundaes, while the winners of the competition turned out to be students from the Czech Republic, who earned the top prize for their svícková game gnocchi.
As a matter of course, the Hungarian offer also had to be up to scratch, for which the members of Külügyi Bizottság came up with their best efforts to treat those interested in domestic flavors to lepcsánka [potato pancakes], fasírt [meatballs], körözött [paprika cheese spread], somlói galuska [sponge cake with chocolate sauce and whipped cream], kenyérlángos [flat bread with toppings], and rétes [strudel], to be complemented with pálinka [fruit brandy] as a little something on the side. During the course of the spring semester, foreign students at UD will also be taking part in a number of excursions, the traditional International Event, and a farewell dinner to wind up the term.
DEHDK - Press Office