Crimean Tatar Culture Day: Feast for Both Soul and Pastries

Real Crimean manty (meat-stuffed steamed dumplings), chak-chak, kubite, sarma, burma and many other pleasures of the table with long forgotten taste for most Ukrainians (for they didn’t have a chance to eat them since Crimean peninsula was occupied by Russia) were offered to every guest of Crimean Tatar Culture Day, held at Kyiv Islamic Cultural Centre on January 30. In order to give a better understanding of the spirit of Crimean home, the facilitators were dressed in traditional clothes or included traditional elements of clothing (like fes hats, hearscarves, and belts) in their clothing. And, of course, every coffee lover could try the Crimean coffee right off the bat.

Feast for the soul came before the feast for the stomach: an exhibition of ceramic works of artist Ms.Marina Kurukchi, who spoke about different items of Crimean Tatar home and explained the meaning of them and their decorations, performance of a children’s dancing company, a folk song by Ms.Afise Yusuf-kizi, lecture on history of Crimean Tatars, their regional peculiarities, wedding traditions, everyday family life, traditional cuisine, geography; presentations of video on the people and the wedding customs.

The most observant of the quests could win prizes in a quizz on things told in the lecture earlier.

And, of course, everyone was invited to join the dinner and try the various dishes of Crimean Tatar cuisine and a variety of pastries.