Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center to offer cultural cuisine at RiverJam Festival

BIDDEFORD —  The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center is inviting the public to sample the many flavors of Biddeford at its Cultural Cuisine event on Saturday, Aug. 21, from  noon to 4 p.m. at Mechanic’s Park on Water Street.

The event, which is open and free to the public, is being held in conjunction with the River Jam Festival.

As part of the festivities, the Cultural Cuisine tents will offer free samples of foods that are representative of the many cultures and ethnicities of Biddeford’s residents.

“If you’ve ever wondered what some of the favorite foods of other countries or cultures are, then this is a great opportunity to experience dishes from a dozen different countries and ethnicities prepared by members our diverse Biddeford community,” said BCHC member and organizer of the event Debbie Litalien.

Festival-goers will have the opportunity to enjoy tastes from Morocco, Vietnam, Ukraine, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Iraq, Angola, DRC Congo, Rwanda, as well as Eastern European Jewish and French Canadian cultures. Specific dishes will include Vietnamese fried rice, chicken biryani (Iraqi chicken and rice dish), Ukrainian perogies (dumplings), fufu (West African cassava dough), bastille (Moroccan chicken pie), beignet (African donut), rugelach (Jewish pastry), and Cretons (French Canadian pork spread), among others.

This event is made possible by a matched grant from Maine 200 and is presented by the BCHC and the Biddeford Adult Ed ELL class. For more information about the event, contact Debbie Litalien at dlitalien622@gmail.com or 468-0234.

The River Jam festival is a free, annual community celebration of life on the Saco River, providing a full schedule of music, arts, and outdoor events on Friday and Saturday. It is a collaboration with LaKermesse, Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center, Engine, Heart of Biddeford, and the Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit riverjamfest.com.

The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center is a local non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating, preserving, sharing and teaching the culture, heritage, diversity and history of Biddeford, its people and surrounding communities. For more information about the organization, visit www.biddefordculturalandheritagecenter.org, email bchc04005@gmail.com, or contact BCHC President Diane Cyr at 283-3993.