The EATWISE Project: Diversity and Sustainability in the Kitchen

MANO EUROPA is pleased to share the progress of the EATWISE project, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program. Its main objective is to investigate how migrants preserve and adapt their culinary traditions in the countries they have moved to.

Interviews and questionnaires

As part of the project, we conducted interviews. We sent questionnaires to people from Ukraine, Nigeria and few other to learn more about their traditional cuisines and how they have changed since arriving in Lithuania. Here are some of the questions we asked:

• How would you describe the cuisine in your country of origin (light, heavy, meaty)?
• Since your arrival here, how have your traditional recipes changed (eg using new ingredients, tweaking, dropping ingredients)? Do you think that living in Lithuania has influenced your way of cooking?
• What are some difficulties you might face when preparing food here (eg not finding ingredients)?
• What are your top 3 dishes from your country of origin?
• What are your top 3 dishes from this country?

You can fill in the QUESTIONNAIRE HERE.

Changes to traditional recipes

Many of the participants shared that they faced the need to adapt their recipes using local ingredients or substitutes for hard-to-find products from their homeland. For example, some spices could not be found in Lithuania, therefore, it has been adapted to those available in the local shops.

Focus groups and sustainability handbook

In the next stages of the project, we will organize focus groups with some of the participants to take an in-depth look at how they manage to sustainably preserve their culinary traditions. Based on this data, we will develop a resilience handbook that will contain useful tips and strategies.

Recipe book

As a goal of the project, the consortium of international partners, which includes MANO EUROPA, will publish a sustainability handbook and a recipe book featuring dishes from different countries. This book will not only be a collection of recipes but also a cultural bridge that will combine stories and traditions.

How to get involved in the project?

If you would like to participate in the EATWISE project and share your culinary traditions, please contact us at the following email address: info@manoeuropa.org

This project is funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission. This publication reflects only the views of the project partners and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.