Discovering & discussing about our Mediterranean food culture
Based on the material “Mediterranean Food: historical, environmental, health and cultural dimensions” produced by MIO-ECSDE and supported by the ALF, four groups of secondary school students, from Egypt, Greece, Italy and Jordan implemented projects in the framework of “links between food & culture”. The students searched for traditional meals and food products during special social occasions e.g. weddings, funerals, local feasts, etc. of their country.
(b) The students’ groups chose particular cases of links among food & local culture/traditions, i.e. the Greek group worked on funeral food traditions, the Italian group on local food traditions on St. Joseph’s Day, the Jordanian group on a selection of traditional meals of Jordan. The groups’ work was compiled and presented in posters made by students, in their language and in English. Additionally, the Jordanian group cooked and presented the traditional meals during the Traditional Food Festival on the 22 of May. The Greek group also cooked the traditional meals that were identified and studied and they presented on the 15th of May in a special event that took place in the school. The Italian group embraced this 1001 Action under a bigger project that is implemented in the school entitled “Let’s meet at table” lasted all school year, where they also studied the nutritional properties of the traditional meals in the lab. The Egyptian group’s project is still under process.
(c) The students’ groups exchanged several emails about their research and findings on the national traditions and traditional meals, and realised how different or common these links are. They also exchanged their posters.
(d) The project and the posters of the groups were promoted and presented through MEdIES educational network (www.medies.net) as well as during the meeting: “Dialogue in Action – Civil Society and Intercultural Dialogue” that took place on 28-30 May in Athens organised by the Head of the Hellenic Network of ALF – Hellenic Foundation for Culture and the ALF.
