First Annual Multicultural Food Festival

Different cultures and cuisines came together and put on an amazing food festival for Rosemont students. A variety of cuisines including Latin American, Swedish, Armenian, Indian, New England, Korean, Persian, and Haitian cuisines came and served some of their countries’ staple dishes. Some of the more popular dishes included samosas from India, kimbap from Korea, and baked goods from England. The Korean families brought one of their staple dishes: kimbap. A Korean parent said, “We’re serving Korean food, this is kimbap and we have gim, which is seaweed, which is a part of the kimbap.” Kimbap is a rolled Korean dish, similar to sushi. Kimbap is made from dried seaweed, rice, eggs, vegetables, and some other kinds of protein. It is often made with carrots as the vegetable and fish as the protein. There are different types of kimbap. One is the traditional way, where the seaweed is on the outside and the rice is on the inside. The second kind is called French Kimbap. French kimbap is where the rice is on the outside and the seaweed is on the inside of the roll. Another cuisine they had was New England food. Our New England representative said, “I am from New England. I baked cookies that were invented in Massachusetts, so it’s an American cuisine but it is also specific to where I grew up”. The table had an array of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and other pastries that represent New England. Another table was from India. The Indian table was serving samosas, and some chutneys to pair with them. Samosas are a fried pastry from central Asia. They are filled with a savory filling that is often made from spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or fish. The shape of the samosa depends on the region it’s from. They can be in a triangular, cone, or crescent shape. Samosas are typically served with a sauce called chutney. Chutney is a flavorful sauce packed with Indian herbs and spices. Green chutney is often made with mint and cilantro and has a very fresh tasting sauce. There is also brown chutney, which has much more of a sweet and sour flavor profile. Brown chutney is often made with tamarind. There is also Red Chutney which is very flavorful, powerful, and spicy. Red chutney is made with garlic, onions, roasted Bengal Gram, Kashmiri dried red chillies, and tamarind. These were only a few of the many food stands they had at Rosemont’s Multicultural Food Festival. The Multicultural Food Fest was put together by parents hoping to support multiculturalism and diversity here at Rosemont. Parents and community members were encouraged to volunteer. Anyone interested in participating next year should make sure to join the Rosemont PTA for more information on how to get involved in supporting our students. Hopefully, next year, we will have more representation of many other countries such as Lebanon, Japan, China, Canada, Italy, France, Greece, and more. All of these countries have many amazing foods to share with Rosemont students. We hope that this is a tradition that Rosemont keeps every year.