‘The recipe has been made in our city for 100 years' – 27-nation cookbook celebrates immigrant families with a taste of home

Irish Independent

2 days ago

The 44-year-old moved to Carlow in 2018 with her son Albert (18). They are from Targu Jiu in south-western Romania and made the move for better educational opportunities for Albert.
Ms Panescu said: 'I had everything I needed back home, the move was his future. I had worked as a secondary school teacher for 12 years and was an authorised translator for the Ministry of Justice.'
After the move, Ms Panescu retrained at Maynooth University and now works as a project co-ordinator for a telecoms company.
Although relocating was challenging, Georgiana had the support of friends she knew who were based in Carlow who also have children.
She also took comfort in the similarities between Ireland and Romania.
'We were occupied by the Roman Empire and Ottoman Empire. Not to mention we were under communism until 1999. So the attitudes are similar. In spite of this occupation, we are very optimistic – just like the Irish people.
'In temperament, we are truly similar. Romanians and the Irish people like to laugh and to make fun of the negative things in their lives.'
The international-themed cookbook, written by Tusla senior communications officer David Lawlor, celebrates the stories and food of 27 immigrant families from all over Ireland.
From Mauritian to Iraqi to Zimbabwean cuisine, the 66-page book – which will be ­distributed in Deis schools as a multicultural educational tool and is free to read online – was launched late last month and is an A-Z of countries around the world.
Georgiana and Albert chose Romanian sarmale, which are stuffed cabbage rolls, as their recipe for the cookbook.
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In Targu Jiu it is often served with a jelly made from pork juices and vegetables, while in other areas in Romania it's served with cream cheese.
'It is an old Romanian recipe, people eat it at Christmas, Easter, weddings, and all sorts of special occasions. There is not a Romanian on earth that wouldn't recognise it.'
The weather here is great, you never know what's going to happen
Another contributor to the cookbook is William Saucedo and his wife Laura Ximena Justiniano.
Mr Saucedo, originally from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, came to Ireland in 2022 along with, his wife and their kids: Franco (14), Raphaella (11) and four-year-old Zamira.
In their home city, William's car was hijacked while working as a taxi man and the family feared for the safety of their children in school. In search of asylum and better opportunities, the family then moved to Kilkenny, with William's daughter Adriana (13) from a previous marriage still living in Bolivia.
Mr Saucedo's wife Laura and their children had no English when the family settled. But now the kids speak with a Kilkenny twang and Ms Ximena Justiniano is taking lessons. She is a homemaker while William works as a security night porter.
One thing that surprisingly hasn't been an issue for the family is the weather. At times it can be difficult to sleep in their home country at night, with average temperatures of 25C. Ireland's cooler temperatures are welcomed.
The couple's son Franco said: 'The weather here is great, you never know what's going to happen. It could rain one minute and then be sunny.'
William describes his new-found home city as very 'welcoming to outsiders' and prides itself in its hospitality.
The recipe the family chose for the cookbook is hot corn cake, similar to a tea cake but with cheese, and passed down by Mr Saucedo's grandmother.
'The recipe has been made in our city for 100 years
.'