Celebrate world food day with some delicious dishes

October 17, 2009

Today is world food day, but any day is the perfect time to cook up some world-cuisine and invite friends over. Either pick one of your favorite exotic dishes and make it yourself, or invite everyone to bring some of their preferred foods over.

To get everyone into the international mood, decorate your place with small flags from foreign countries and play some world music to match the mouth-watering fare.

For party favors, consider making up recipe cards with your favorite dishes on them, like chicken tikka masala, pad thai, or traditional lasagna.

Of course, you can't forget dessert. A creme brulee recipe from France could create a dramatic finale - use a kitchen torch to carefully brown the top table-side.

You can also use this as an opportunity to sample some world beverages. Ask guests to bring some of their favorite brews from around the globe, or try some exotic wines (like kava, a sparkling Spanish wine).

Consider using the holiday as an opportunity to address hunger in your community. Ask all of your guests to bring canned or dry goods and donate their contributions to a local food pantry.