A food celebration this Sunday seeks to build bridges, one recipe at a time

Falafel, sambosas and kookoo sabzi will be on the menu at a food and cultural exhibition in Gżira this weekend as refugees open their culture to locals who helped them when they first arrived in Malta.

The exhibition is part of the Sparkfest events held to mark Refugee Week which brings together artists, communities, NGOs, civil society groups, cultural organisations and others to celebrate creativity, contributions and resilience of people seeking sanctuary.

Lawyer and cultural mediator Hadia Bashir, who is organising the event, said food transcends all barriers.

“When you share food, you don’t use language; it drops our barriers, so we can enjoy it altogether,” she told Times of Malta.

“We want to celebrate with the locals because they opened their doors for us as refugees. So we want to open our culture to them.”

Bashir said the event would give visitors the chance not only to try recipes from different cultures but also to learn about the stories behind them.

“This event brings us all together to understand one another and to build relationships between different communities, all while celebrating our diversity.”

What to expect

On the menu will be Somali sambosas, triangular deep-fried savoury pastries filled with vegetables or meat, the popular East Sudan dish, Tamiya, which is made with spiced potatoes and vegetables, as well as kookoo sabzi, a Persian egg and herb frittata, and not to mention the perennial favourites crispy Palestinian falafel.

“We want to encourage curious Maltese people to come try unfamiliar dishes,” Bashir said.

The food will be available on Sunday afternoon. Some of those who prepared the dishes will also be present to share recipes and speak about the memories and traditions attached to them.

“Every food has a story, and a memory attached to it. It could be how your mum makes it, or how your grandmother does, either way it takes us back to beautiful memories.”

Bashir, who is a refugee and has lived in Malta since 2013, encouraged people from different communities to take part in Sunday’s event and in Refugee Week more broadly, pointing out that there are multiple events were food is being used as a bridge between cultures.

She said she hoped the week would help create more connections between communities through music, food and culture.

“We are living here amongst you, we are part of this community, and we don’t want to be isolated as refugees. We would like locals to join us and listen to our stories and test some food from our community”

The event will also include a cultural exhibition, with refugee communities invited to attend in their traditional dress.

Bashir said the exhibition would allow participants to learn from one another and see each other as they would be in their countries of origin.

Sparkfest aims to bring together people from different backgrounds to connect, share stories, discover cultures and celebrate what they have in common.

The free community event is being organised by Spark15 in partnership with local communities, NGOs, volunteers and supporters who want to promote a more inclusive and connected Malta.

Spark Fest 2026 takes place on Sunday, June 21 between 4pm and 11.30pm at the Gżira playground.