UMD International Club Holds Annual Taste of UMD Event

International Club President Shuja Syed adds the final ingredient to his Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani dish. Photo by Evan Rahman.

UMD’s International Club returned to the United Hope Methodist Church for their annual International Taste of UMD event on Nov. 22. UMD students came to the church’s basement to present various dishes and to celebrate many different cultures.

International Taste of UMD has been an annual event for over 15 years, with the International Club inviting students to cook a dish from their culture and bring it for people to eat. The cooks prepared over 30 different dishes, with the food all coming from specific cultures.

Some of the dessert options at International Taste of UMD, including the Peda and Jalebi. Photo by Evan Rahman.

“The International Taste of UMD is a huge potluck bringing over cultures and countries and food from all of these cultures and countries together. In a single location at the Hope United Methodist Church on the weekend before Thanksgiving,” said Shuja Syed, President of the International Club.

There was a large number of rice dishes, such as Hyderabadi Chicken Briyani from India, Wild Rice Hotdish from Ojibwe culture, even Onigiri, which are stuffed rice balls from Japan. A lot of the dishes were Halal as well, such as the Chicken Roast from Bangladesh, and Sambusas from Somalia.

Alongside the savory entrees and sides, there was also a selection of international desserts. Specific desserts included Nigerian Donuts, as well as a dish from United States Midwestern culture, the Snickers Salad.

UMD students cooked and prepared the dishes served at International Taste of UMD, while the International Club helped to find and purchase some of the ingredients necessary. Multiple members of the International Club board cooked and provided their own dishes for the event, such as the organization’s PR board member, Divya Subramaniam.

“It was really fun, honestly, kind of chaotic, but really fun to organize and learn about different foods. As we put it on, we learn about different foods and how difficult it is to find ingredients for foods of different backgrounds because it's really hard to buy these ingredients, especially in Duluth,” Subramaniam said. “I made two dishes, the Peda and Jalebi. Those are both Indian dishes, and they are desserts.”

Guests wait in line and take food at International Taste of UMD. Photo by Evan Rahman.

“This has been an amazing journey, I would say. A lot of organization, a lot of shopping, a lot of cooking. I myself cooked the Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani, and I feel like it's up there in terms of the food that's here,” Syed said.

International Taste of UMD is the International Club’s largest event of the fall semester, but their largest event each year is Feast of Nations. This event happens in the spring semester, and has been an annual event for over 50 years at UMD. Feast of Nations also features international dishes, but also includes performances and fashion shows.

Feast of Nations 2026 will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28. For more information about the International Club and their upcoming events, you can find them on Instagram, as well as their Bulldog Connect page.