gastrodiplomacy
With Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Iran, there's been lots of talk in Delhi about the relationship between our two countries. But for me, a holiday I had in Iran last year told me more about our middle eastern neighbour than any political pundit could.
![Photo by Takeshi Tanabe | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/May20TWiPD_0.jpg?itok=jg-PJhzV)
From nation branding through food to the sound of music diplomacy, headlines showcased the sensory side of culture.
India has organised a week-long Indian culinary week here to showcase the country's wide ranging food habits as part of cultural interaction with Israel. The programme by the Indian Embassy here in collaboration with Israel's leading hotel chain Dan Hotels was inaugurated on Sunday. Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, 52, is showcasing the wide ranging food habits prevalent in India.
South Korea’s capital Seoul is bustling with a huge group of Chinese tourists, reaching almost 10,000 people, on their company-sponsored incentive trip as a reward for great performance. On Friday evening, about 4,000 Chinese visitors enjoyed Korea’s signature herbal chicken soup, party after sightseeing and shopping in and out of Seoul.
At the very private lunch that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had for the visiting Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this month, the cuisine had an “Anglo Indian touch”. This deviation from the tried and tested official menus that generally feature cream of almond soup and insipid north Indian curries and kebabs was certainly welcome. But more interesting was the attempt to reach out to the guests via food.
![Photo reprinted courtesy Erika Herzog via Flickr Bake-Off Is Back, by Mark Bourdillon](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/bake_off_is_back.jpg?itok=fwjZZu5R)
How a baking contest is showcasing the best of Britain's past and present.
This month, the Brazilian embassy in Jordan will promote the Brazilian Gastronomy Week in the capital Amman. The dinners will take place at the hotel Grand Hyatt Amman from April 19 to 27. Around 120 guests are expected each night. [...] The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is supporting the event, providing the contact of member companies interested in having their products in the dinners.
Korea has launched an aggressive campaign to bolster food exports to China, targeting the growing number of increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers, many of whom view Korean products as safer and more sanitary.