EXPLORING CULTURE THROUGH CULINARY ARTS

Join UBC experts who help you explore the history and culture of their countries through restaurant outings and discussions about your eating experiences. These courses are offered in English.

Please click on the course code to register online.

North African Cuisine

Learn about North African cuisine and the geographic, historical, social and cultural factors that have influenced it. This course introduces you to a wide variety of dishes from countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Become familiar with classical ingredients and dishes such as Algerian fish soup, Moroccan sweet potato, couscous, Egyptian stuffed vine leaves, kofta and kebab, fried rice with nuts, humus, tahini, kosharee and falafels. Learn to understand North African and Middle Eastern menus and make the best choices for healthy and tasty meals.  The registration fee includes four dinners at various restaurants, all taxes and gratuities.

BC239F09A  5 Tue, Oct 6-Nov 3, 6:30-9pm; first class meets in Buchanan D Bldg, UBC. $325+GST
Note: This course is cancelled.

Culinary Arts of India

Embark on this culinary tour and experience the complex and remarkable story of Indian cuisine. This unique course introduces you to a range of culinary delights as rich and diverse as the cultures, history and people of India. From the northern cream and yogurt cuisines of Punjab and Kashmir to the coconut and chiliinspired dishes of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, each region has its own distinct cooking style. The innovative format of instruction, designed around the classical storytelling tradition of India, provides an understanding of the intricacies of Indian cuisine while imparting valuable insights into the cultures and traditions of each region.

BC213F09A  5 Tue, Oct 6-Nov 3, 6:30-9pm; first class meets in Buchanan D Bldg, UBC. $325+GST
Note: This course is now full.

View course overview (26 KB pdf).

Chinese Culinary Arts

This unique course on Chinese culinary arts allows you to taste specialties from North China, Szechuan, Shanghai and Canton. Learn about the healthy diet promoted by Chinese cooking and the balance of Yin and Yang represented through the choices of meats and vegetables and regional specialties such as Pekinese duck, Shanghai smoked fish, Szechuanese devil-cooked pork and Cantonese steamed scallops in garlic sauce. You dine each evening with a UBC Chinese instructor who provides historical background, regional information and the legends and stories behind culinary specialties. You become proficient in understanding Chinese menus and ordering balanced meals while gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and traditions.

BC210F09A  5 Tue, Oct 6-Nov 3, 6:30-9pm; first class meets in Buchanan D Bldg, UBC. $325+GST
Note: This course is cancelled.

View course overview (28 KB pdf).

Culinary Arts of Thailand

Learn about the cultural influences, styles and ingredients that have made Thai cuisine one of the world's healthiest and most distinctive dining experiences. Discover how Thai cuisine has blended the historical influences of China, India, Oceana and southern Europe into the culinary variations of its four main regions, from the dried meat and rice of the northern hill tribes, to the seafood grilled in banana leaves of the lush tropical south. This program introduces you to the classical ingredients of Thai dishes, such as curries, pad thai and papaya salad, to the lesser known delights such as jasmine sticky rice with shredded dry pork, and golden flowers dessert. You will also learn about the light cooking styles that retain nutritional value and flavours, the art of fruit and vegetable carving, and the simplicity of eating Thai style.

BC229W10A    5 Tue, Mar 2-30, 6:30-9pm; first class meets in Buchanan D Bldg, UBC. $325+GST, includes four dinners at various restaurants, all taxes and gratuities.

Read about Dawn Brenan's experience in this class in Thai One on With Strangers as published by The Creek newspaper.

Japanese Culinary Arts

Join one of UBC Continuing Studies’ Japanese language and culture instructors in a culinary tour of several of Vancouver’s leading Japanese restaurants and experience the fascinating history and diversity of Japanese cuisine. This course introduces you to a range of culinary delights from the island nation whose surrounding seas are warmed by Kuroshio, the plankton-rich Japanese current. Learn how sushi began centuries ago as a method of preserving raw fish. Explore the sushi specialties of Tokyo with its Edo-style sushi and the intricacies of sashimi, nigiri sushi and maki sushi. The innovative format of instruction allows you to experience artistic menus designed with attention to colour, texture, flavour and balance, and to discuss the classical history of Japan and how it relates to modern day dishes. Carefully selected dishes provide an understanding of Japanese cuisine while imparting valuable insights into the cultures and traditions of various regions. By the end of this program you will be familiar with many unique ingredients such as daikon radish, tofu, wasabi and sake, and understand how Japanese cuisine represents harmony with nature.

BC223W10A  5 Tue, Mar 2-30, 6:30-9pm; first class meets in Buchanan D Bldg, UBC. $325+GST, includes four dinners at various restaurants, all taxes and gratuities.

Culture and Cuisine of Mexico

Learn about exotic culinary traditions from all parts of Mexico. A UBC expert on Mexican food and culture takes you on a tasting adventure from basic foods such as tortillas, fruits, almonds and jocoque (yogourt) in the state of Chihuahua, to ancient Mayan dishes of pork and chicken marinated in achiote sauce in the Yucatan Peninsula. During your guided restaurant outings you have the opportunity to sample the varieties of seafood from the coasts of Veracruz and Guerrero, such as ceviche and huachinango (red snapper). The tour of specialty foods continues with gorditas, garnachas, chalupas, totopos (corn chips) and so much more. Experience the festivities and everyday life of Mexico while discovering a whole new world of spices and flavours, interwoven with stories of conquistadores and the pre-Colombian Aztecs, Zapotecs and Mayas.

View course overview (18 KB pdf).

How to register