Holiday Festivities Continue A Day Later

What happens when you have a team of over dozen people from different ethnic backgrounds and you organize a potluck dinner themed around food from each of our backgrounds? An amazing spread and lots of fun.

The idea was that each of us not only brings a food that is reflective of what our ancestors would have eaten on holidays in their country of origin, but also prepares a Power Point presentation explaining the food. 

While I tried to take rigorous notes, I am not sure I captured all, nor captured it correctly. So if I missed anyone or anything, please forgive me.

Germany: Lazy Man's Cabbage Rolls - a baked spread of sauerkraut, rice and meat.

New Zealand: What else other than kiwis.

Vietnam: Vegetarian spring rolls with a full Power Point presentation of the recipe and preparation which, when I get my hands on it, will feature it in full here.

China: BBQ Pork Chinese Buns and Lor Por Peng (or "wife" cake) with the story behind those cakes.

The Philippines: Sweet buns and cakes.

Britain: The British Cheese Ball - festive looking in the platter and a very entertaining presentation featuring the cheese ball among the British Royalties.

South Africa: The "crustless" Milktert (simply Milk Tart in Afrikaans). I already got my hands on the recipe and will sure be making it soon, so look out for it.

Pakistan: One of my favourite meals - Biryani with a beautiful presentation on how to cook it.


Canada's Maritimes: While we all expected lobster, given distance and season, we ended up with a delicious hot crab dip.

Ukraine: Reflecting the use of cherries around the holidays, a home made cherry perogies to die for. 

Germanic/Scots/English/Irish mix resulted in three dishes reflecting the combination of values of those backgrounds: Potatoes & sauerkraut (hard work and humility), shortbread cookies (humour) and beats (pride).

A most interesting twist was someone's working with the fact that our background goes back to the creation of the universe, the earth and the first stone aged humans. Given what our original ancestors in those days ate, the food provided included dried fruit, nuts and delicious meat balls with secret ingredients (claimed to be maybe dogs, rats, or monkeys - who knew what the original human ate anyways).


My contribution was the Kebbeh (see November 27 entry - Holiday Kebbeh )


And you may have guessed who would have made the dessert - an Anita made Pavlovas to die for!