Recipes from home

Recipes from the IRC's cooking workshops in Greece

In 2021 the IRC held cooking workshops for refugee and Greek women living on the Island of Lesvos in Greece. The aim of the workshops is to bring together local and refugee women, to promote common experiences and mutual understanding through the universal language of food. The women below shared recipes that were personal to them and reminded them of home.

Click on the images below to read the recipes and try them out for yourself.

Hafeza’s delicious Afghan Bolani recipe
26-year-old Hafeza has been living in Greece for four years after fleeing Afghanistan. Learn to cook her Afghan Bolani recipe.
Koteu’s spinach and tuna with African fufu recipe
Koteu is a refugee from Cameroon. Learn to cook her spinach and tuna with African fufu recipe she grew up eating.
Dimitra’s stuffed tomatoes recipe
Born and raised in Lesvos, Dimitra’s grandparents came to Greece as refugees from Asia Minor. Learn to cook her grandmother's stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers recipe.
Elisabeth's spinach stew with beef and shrimp recipe
Elisabeth from Cameroon shares her mouth-watering spinach stew with beef and shrimp recipe.
Jacqueline’s vegan Mahshi recipe
Originally from Syria, Jacqueline came to Greece two years ago with her brother to claim asylum. She now lives in Mavrovouni refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.

Learn to make Afghan Bolani

Watch and share Hafeza's Afghan Bolani recipe.

Meet the Afghan Chef helping refugees feel at home

Chef Noori fled Afghanistan with his family in 2015, resettling in the United States through a Special Immigrant Visa for Afghans who supported U.S. troops or programmes. Trained as a chef, he began working in a kitchen right away and eventually opened The Mantu (themantuva.com), a modern Afghan fine dining restaurant in Richmond, Virginia.