Taste of Mena, the culinary festival dedicated to the flavors of the MENA region, will take place for the first time this year on the Nieuwe Markt next to the Forum in Groningen. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, the festival offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy the diverse and rich cuisines of the MENA region.
Taste of Mena
At Taste of Mena, MENA restaurants and caterers from Groningen present themselves with the tastiest dishes and drinks from the MENA region. Visitors can relax in MENA atmospheres with a snack and a drink, cooking workshops, music, kids entertainment and more.
Participating catering establishments & caterers include:. Florentin, The Mezza, Yamen Cuisine, Moor, Screemer Catering, Cafe Lust, Stach goes Mena, The Feith House goes Mena, The Market Hotel goes Mena, riding a Blue Bananas Pancakes goes Mena.
Cooking competition Ready Finish Cook Mena edition
At the Nieuwe Markt, MENA chefs are going to de cooking battle compete to get the title of 'Best MENA chef in Groningen' while the stopwatch is running! In exciting cooking rounds, ingredients from the MENA region are used, mixed with typical Dutch ingredients. All this from black boxes with products that the jury puts together in advance and where the public jury can sit down to taste and judge the dishes.
Free workshops and kids area
There are also free activities for children such as face painting and coloring provided by Blob & Color. The free baking workshop “Tahini Temptations” offers participants the chance to learn how to make easy and delicious baking recipes from the MENA region. Two options are available and participants can learn how to make their own pastries in a friendly and involved environment with the help and support of the workshop hosts.
In addition, Prof. dr. Karène Sanchez-Summerer, Professor of Middle East Studies at the BACK, presenting the modern history of Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities in the Middle East, through learning about their food traditions, such as the specific rules for preparing and eating dishes. Participants will also have the opportunity to prepare their own pastries -Ma'amoul-. There are 3 workshops that visitors of Taste of Mena can join for free.
Mena is Lord
Taste of Mena promises to be a great culinary event and a perfect opportunity to enjoy the rich and diverse cuisines of the MENA region. The food event is part of the 10-day 'MENA IS HERE' event with cultural activities, artists, musicians, makers, stories and conversations about and from the Mena region (Middle East – North Africa) that takes place from 11 to 20 May on various locations in Groningen city.
More information:
Taste of Mena: www.tasteofmena.nl
Mena is Lord: www.menaishere.nl