Encinitas Community Center offers ‘Cooking Round the World’ for seniors

Food and travel memories go hand in hand: dumplings and dipping sauce in China, falafels in Israel, Viennese pastries, Peruvian tostadas.

“Cooking Round the World” is the Encinitas Community Center’s newest program for seniors that marries international culture with cooking. Each class focuses on a new country and a new set of recipes. Seniors are presented with a slide show about a country, then cook and eat two dishes from the country of the day.

The seniors class eats as a group, then discusses the flavors of the international foods they made. Participants enjoy the tastes of different cultures without leaving Encinitas!

The first session is 3-5 p.m. Nov. 12. The seniors will be “visiting” Korea and will make Japchae, a stir-fried noodles and vegetables dish, and Gyeran Bbang, muffins with egg and maple syrup, commonly sold by Korean food street vendors.

The Dec. 10 class “visits” Ireland. The class will make an Irish potato soup with dumplings, and Irish soda bread. This class is also from 3-5 p.m.

Cost for the two-session course is $53 for Encinitas residents, $56 for non-residents. Registration includes instruction, apron, recipe handouts, and a delicious meal. Senior cooking classes in 2016 will be forthcoming.

Note: “Cooking Round the World” is a nut-free program; there are no tree nuts or peanuts in any recipe. If a senior has a food allergy beyond nuts, contact Director Mindy Myers, 510-593-5285, before registering.

To register, visit www.encinitasparksandrec.com, click on “Register for Programs,” then enter the course number (#5312). Class limited to 12.