Cultural festival to offer tastes around world

Flavors from all over the globe are going to be in one spot this weekend: The Living Traditions Festival, on the grounds of the Salt Lake City-County Building, 450 South and 200 East.

Admission is free. Festival hours are Friday, May 15, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, May 16, noon-10 p.m.; and Sunday, May 17, noon-7 p.m.

You can sample all kinds of food while you kick back to enjoy the music, dancing and crafts.

Different cultural groups sell their traditional fare as a way to raise both awareness and money for their programs.

Here's just a smattering of the items you can sample:

 Basque steak sandwich, chorizos and churros

 Tongan barbecue chicken, macaroni salad, Polynesian-style rice and tropical trifle

 Bolivian empanadas and corn on the cob with melted cheese

 Lebanese hummus and falafel sandwiches

 Tibetan dumplings and hot spicy potatoes

 Tahitian roasted pork sandwich, barbecued chicken and tropical fruits

 Swiss bratwurst and tortes with alcohol-free apple beer

 El Salvadoran tamales, quesadillas and fried plantains

 Scottish sausage rolls, shortbread and cherry tarts

 Pakistani samosas, chicken kabobs, vegetable curry

 Thai chicken curry, pad Thai, and fried bananas

 Sudanese kabobs and chicken Sheia, a savory chicken stew with cinnamon

 Indian tacos, which are fry bread topped with beans, cheese and tomatoes

 Mexican carne asadas, chile verde burritos, refried beans and Mexican soda pop

 Laotian chicken satay, egg rolls and fried wontons

 Italian meatball and sausage sandwiches with marinara sauce and sodas

 African-American catfish, ribs, greens, corn bread, dirty rice and peach cobbler

 Bosnian shish kebab, baklava, baked apple stuffed with walnuts and tiramisu

 Vietnamese spring rolls, chicken on a stick and ham-fried rice

 Hawaiian shave ice, macadamia nut ice cream and Hawaiian-style popcorn

You can also watch live cooking demonstrations and find out more about preparation techniques and where to find authentic ingredients. Samples of the food prepared by each chef are given out to audience members.

Saturday, 2 p.m.: Mona Nissar will show a vegetarian version of Indian Aloo Burjee, made with curried potatoes and peas and served over rice.