There’s something mysteriously awe-inspiring about sharing a meal with people. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow friendships, community and trust. A shared meal has a way of crossing borders and uniting us on common ground as we pause our busy lives, relax and enjoy a moment in time together. This past Thursday evening was a marvellous example of this as I experienced my first IMMART dinner. I was completely blown away.
The weather was balmy and warm as I caught the train a little outside of Copenhagen to the location for this month’s Immart dinner – the home of Angelique Sanossian. It was an intimate gathering with only 8 guests, some of whom hadn’t met before. As I entered Angelique’s beautiful, hyggeligt home I was greeted by her big, warm smile and her even bigger heart as she welcomed us in and proceeded to lavish us with unparalleled hospitality, thoughtfullness, generosity and creative cuisine.
We gathered in the garden to meet the other guests and enjoy some pre-dinner drinks as Angelique prepped the first of four incredible courses, each one reflecting on the mission and vision of IMMART. I felt incredibly honoured to be there and to spend time with this group of various international artists, all living in Denmark. Each one so different yet united by a love for art in its various forms.
We were then called to come and find a place at an exquisitely set table outside where Angelique read us the IMMART mission statement: “IMMART works for the activation and inclusion of multilingual, ethnically diverse artists in the Danish art and culture sector to create social cohesion”. She then proceeded to explain how she had translated the first part of this mission statement into an entrée for us.
She first focused on the word “activation” and how she felt that this begins with being integrated here in Denmark. She had chosen to serve rye bread as the base for the entrée which represents Denmark as it is culturally a very popular food for Danes to eat. Rye grows easily here in the cold climate, so for many years the Danes, many of whom were farmers, have eaten rye bread to keep them full and stay active throughout the day. Angelique had topped the rye bread with labne and zaatar along with a side of cucumber which is typically eaten in the Middle East, where she was originally from. (Specifically, in the east Levant region this is eaten for breakfast.) This fusion of food represents each of us bringing our own flavours and being based and integrated here in Danish society. The combination was served with refreshing homemade rhubarb saft with a hint of vanilla.
For the second course Angelique had chosen to represent the diversity and inclusion mentioned in the IMMART mission statement through three colourful salads. The first salad was made of aubergines stuffed with red pepper and Philadelphia cheese and topped with pomegranate. The second was melon with parma ham seasoned with a basil sauce with lemon and honey. The third was a green salad with burrata cheese, peach, tomato and nuts, seasoned with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Here she explained that she had chosen these three dishes as they are full of many different colours and shapes and thus represent many diverse cultures all coming together which in turn reflects our inclusion into society. As we finished enjoying the wonderful mix of flavours and colours that were spread before us some big drops of rain began to fall, bringing a respite to the high temperature of the evening. We moved inside and continued to enjoy the conversation and pleasant atmosphere as Angelique brought through the main course.
Here our wonderful host went all out, once again, to creatively represent the final part of the IMMART mission statement, “social cohesion”. She did this by serving the vegetarian and non vegetarian options in similar ways so they looked like almost the same dish, with mostly the same ingredients, colours and shapes. The vegetarian option was Mujadara. This was a black lentil dish cooked with rice, topped with caramelised onions and served with a side of yogurt and salad. The non vegetarian option was slow cooked minced meat seasoned with cinnamon and 7 spices, served with rice. It was topped with pine nuts and served with a side of yogurt and salad. The two options were gorgeously plated in the same way to show the concept behind this dish. Here Angelique explained that the rice was the key ingredient that was the same in both dishes and how it represents a common ground between us. We all come from uniquely diverse backgrounds but, being a part of the IMMART network, we share a common ground and that is art.
And then came the fourth and final course for the evening, the dessert. Here, Angelique laid out an array of ingredients including various sauces, whipped cream, berries, cakes, fruits and sprinkles. She encouraged us to get involved, to experiment and to each create our own desert using what was on the table. We then spoke around what we had created and how our unique combination of ingredients and our creation represents what each of us feel we can add to the IMMART network. This led to a thoughtful time of reflection and creativity as we enjoyed listening to each other’s ideas and seeing how differently everyone had responded to the same brief.
We finished off with coffee and more fantastic conversation, and I left with a deep sense of gratitude in my heart. Gratitude for having been a part of such a unique culinary experience and to have found this group of wonderfully diverse people from vastly different backgrounds each doing life in Denmark, all united by art. I am grateful that we get to enjoy this common ground together, to build a community alongside each other, to encourage each other, to find a sense of belonging and our unique place in Danish society.
Photos: @angeliquesanossian
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View more images from the dinner here.
Read more about IMMART Dinners here.
