The event dubbed "Confucius Institute Banquet -- A Taste of Sichuan", gave participants a rare chance to enjoy authentic(地道的 dìdào de) Sichuan-style dishes(四川菜 Sìchuān cài) prepared by seven master chefs(厨师 chúshī) coming from Sichuan Tourism University (STU) in southwest China.
The dishes included two starters(开胃菜 kāiwèi cài), four main courses(主菜 zhǔcài) and two Chinese-style desserts(甜点 tiándiǎn), followed by tea exclusively from the mountains of Sichuan province. On-the-spot bilingual introduction was provided by a food culture professor from the STU.
UCD's is one of the earliest Confucius Institutes established in the world. It was recognized as one of the model institutes by the relevant Chinese authorities due to its outstanding contributions to the promotion of cultural exchanges(交流 jiāoliú) between China and Ireland.
Currently, there are three Confucius Institutes in Ireland. The other two are located in Cork in the south and in Galway in the west.
中国八大菜系 "Eight Cuisines" of China:
[Chuāncài] 川菜 Sichuan cuisine
[Lǔcài] 鲁菜 Shangdong cuisine
[Yuècài] 粤菜 Cantonese cuisine
[Sūcài] 苏菜 Jiangsu cuisine
[Zhècài] 浙菜 Zhejiang cuisine
[Mǐncài] 闽菜 Fujian cuisine
[Xiāngcài] 湘菜 Hunan cuisine
[Huīcài] 徽菜 Anhui cuisine