Food Workshop
with Give something Back to Berlin – Open Kitchen (GER/EN)

What do community, memories and new beginnings, exile and home taste like? In this workshop organised by the non-profit organisation ‘Give Something Back to Berlin’, we will engage in an exchange on these topics through the experience of cooking and eating together at a long table in the garden. Under the guidance of Esra Biskin and Kalsang Tashi, we will prepare Turkish manti and Tibetan momos together. This not only teaches us how to prepare these delicious dumplings, but also creates a relaxed space to talk about life experiences linked to food, interfamilial and intergenerational mediations as well as migration and search movements.

Each group spends an hour moulding and filling the respective dishes and is and receives information from the workshop leaders about the Turkish, Armenian or Tibetan contexts in which they are used. Due to the intensity of the workshop, only 2-3 momos and manti can be made per participant.

Give Something Back to Berlin (GSBTB) focuses on strengthening the community, whether new arrivals or long-established residents. A cornerstone of the activities is the Open Kitchen, which breaks down barriers by cooking together. By promoting communal cooking, not only are delicious meals prepared, but it also creates a platform for mutual understanding and respect. A particular highlight is the cookery book ‘The Feast’, which was published by GSBTB.

Esra Biskin (she/her) was born in Berlin in December 1989 and spent part of her childhood in Turkey before returning to Berlin 10 years ago. As a child of the diaspora, she brings with her a variety of cultural influences that have shaped her passion for cooking. Esra is actively involved in intercultural exchange, building bridges between different cultures and people through sharing food and stories.

Kalsang Tashi (he/him) hails from Arunachal Pradesh, India, and now lives in Neukölln, Berlin. His culinary journey began in the 1970s in a Tibetan community, where he learnt the art of cooking from his mother. After years in a Buddhist monastery and with the Special Frontier Force of the Indian Army, he finally found his home in Berlin, where he established himself as a chef with a catering company. With two daughters and a wealth of life experiences, he looks at life and cooking in a uniquely intuitive way that always brings new perspectives.