Tasting Culture: BelSU’s International Students Learn History of Russian Dishes Through Interactive Game

The event, titled “Belgorod – Crossroads of Cultures,” was held at the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue established by the Belgorod Regional Public Organisation Avye Parusa (“Scarlet Sails”) at the Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library with a grant from the regional government. The goal was to introduce international students living in the city to the festive, culinary and musical traditions of the region.

Students from the Republic of Chad, Uzbekistan, Ecuador, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkmenistan and Burkina Faso – studying at the Institute of Intercultural Communication and International Relations, the Institute of Engineering and Digital Technologies, and the Pedagogical Institute of Belgorod National Research University (BelSU) – participated in the quiz.

Hosts Daria Kovalenko and Ivan Govorishchev from the library’s Books in International Languages Section shared interesting facts about iconic dishes such as Olivier salad, “herring under a fur coat”, okroshka, kvass, and festive Easter delights kulich and paskha. The students then became virtual chefs, following step‑by‑step instructions to prepare an online lunch using the very dishes they had just learned about.

At the end of the meeting, participants marked their home countries on a map and received traditional Easter cakes as gifts. The winning team earned an invitation to the next interactive session at the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue.