Sixth Graders Taste the World in Enrichment Class

One of the best things about studying in a district as diverse as Briarcliff is that you get to learn about different cultures in fun ways. And what could be more fun than trying new food?

In Nancy Kress’s Enrichment Culture class at Briarcliff Middle School, sixth graders celebrated each other’s cultures by participating in the Heritage Project.

Students first created PowerPoint presentations about their culture and heritage and presented them to the class.

Students then brought in food related to their culture to share with the class.

Each student described the food they had brought and Ms. Kress read aloud a list of the ingredients for each dish for the benefit of those with allergies or dietary preferences. There were pretzels for those who did not want to sample the dishes.

Rebecca, who is Jewish, brought chocolate Rugalach that she made by herself from scratch.

“I’ve made them before to test them out first,” she said.

Isabella, whose heritage is Brazilian, brought cheese bread and Brigadeiro, which are little fudge balls.

“Pretty much everyone in Brazil eats cheese bread,” she said. “It can be eaten for breakfast, or as a snack if you are going somewhere.”

According to Isabella, the main ingredient in Brigadeiro is condensed milk.

“In the same way that everyone in the U.S. has cupcakes at their birthday parties, people in Brazil eat Brigadeiro,” she said. “There is no birthday party in Brazil without it.”

Sidney, who is of Chinese descent, brought Steamed Flowers, which are a type of pastry made with flour, yeast and red bean paste.

“My mom made them,” she said. “We usually eat the red bean paste in a bun.”

No’el, who is of Korean descent, brought Bulgogi, which is barbecue beef, and Kimbap, which is similar to sushi.

“My mom made these this morning. She makes them for dinner sometimes,” he said.

No’el explained that Bulgogi is served as a side dish, with rice typically being the main dish. He also explained how to make the Kimbap and handed out chopsticks and forks.

Doruk practiced picking up the Bulgogi with chopsticks, but struggled, as he had never used them before. No’el showed him and gave him a few extras to take home.

“I’m going to practice at home with my noodles,” Doruk said.

All the food was delicious. Everyone wanted seconds (and thirds) of everything.