Christmas came earlier for international students at Porto University

Over 250 international students at Porto University gathered Monday, 19 December at the Faculty of Law for an earlier Christmas celebration, in which the main attraction was the tasting of traditional festive cuisine from more than 25 different countries.

The highlight of the colourful palette of music, sweets and conviviality of this Christmas Get Together, organised by the International Relations Department of the University of Porto, was the gastronomic international competition themed "Sabores de Natal" [Christmas Flavours].

The international students signed up to the challenge of cooking the traditional dishes of their home country. From the Shopska salad from Bulgaria to the chocolate from Kazakhstan, the Romanian Cozonac or the Greek Melomakaron, and even the plum from Morocco, the couscous from Algeria and the milk jam from Argentina, the delicacies and culinary treats were abundant in this festive Christmas meal.

But this Christmas get together did not lack the Portuguese traditional dishes of this festive season, namely the rabanadas (fried bread slices with sugar and eggs), the Bolo rei (King Cake), or the sweet rice.

This earlier Xmas supper was filled with joy and peppered with sharing.

It should be spotlighted that in the school year 2017/2018, the University of Porto reached a record number of international students, with over 1.450 international students from 67 countries that have chosen the University of Porto to pursue their studies in higher education.

By the end of the school year, it is estimated that nearly 4.500 international students will attend Porto University.