From October 23 to 26, we took part in the Helsinki Book Fair, one of Finland’s most important cultural events, which this year attracted a record number of visitors and featured an exceptionally rich program. With the support of the Ukrainian Association in Finland, Ukraine had a strong presence at the fair, and we became part of that presence through an event that engaged with Ukrainian culture through the language of food.
At the center of our participation was the event “Galicia — Unexpected Flavors of the Heart of Europe,” where we presented Galician cuisine as a tool of cultural diplomacy. Through taste, conversation, and direct contact, we spoke about a region shaped at the crossroads of European influences and Ukrainian cultural continuity — in a lively, informal way, outside conventional informational frameworks.
During the event, Marianna Dushar, a food anthropologist and researcher of gastronomic heritage, together with Lola Landa, a chef and researcher of Jewish cuisine, cooked and served banosh with bryndza, Carpathian cheese figurines, and rolls filled with ruzha (rose preserve). Each dish was accompanied by a story about its origins, symbolism, and place within the cultural landscape of Galicia. For us, it was important to present cuisine not as “exotic,” but as a living part of Europe’s history and of Ukraine’s contemporary cultural reality.
We became convinced that this very format — based on food, presence, and dialogue — works as an effective form of culinary diplomacy: it sparks interest, opens space for questions, and creates an emotional connection with Ukrainian culture.
The fair also featured numerous discussions devoted to Ukrainian literature, translation, and questions of identity, while the Ukrainian book stand once again became a familiar and important part of the event. Taken together, these elements formed a coherent Ukrainian presence at the fair — polyphonic, contemporary, and open to conversation.
For the Ukrainian Gastronomic Sisterhood, participation in the Helsinki Book Fair was another confirmation that cuisine can be a powerful tool of cultural diplomacy — especially where it is important to speak about Ukraine not only through words.
