Mozambican Cooking Class Held in Matsuyama, Ehime Pref.; Participants Don Aprons, Bandanas Made from Traditional Mozambique Fabric

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:34 JST, November 25, 2025

MATSUYAMA — A Mozambican cooking class was held Monday in Matsuyama to continue the cultural exchange between Ehime Prefecture and the African nation, which began during the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.

The prefecture hosted the event and commissioned Shikoku Global Network, an Nonprofit organization, to organize it.

During the class, about 30 participants were divided into groups and given aprons and bandanas designed for the Expo and made from capulanas, a traditional Mozambican fabric.

Mozambican exchange students from Ehime University and Kobe University taught the participants how to cook dishes such as xima, a dish made by stirring white corn flour with water and steaming it, and samosas, which are made by wrapping fish and onions in spring roll wrappers and frying them. Some participants eagerly took notes on the recipes.

A second-year elementary school student said, “I enjoyed slicing [the ingredients] by myself and tasting them. They were so delicious that I had seconds.”

After the class, a student from Ehime University performed with a timbila, a traditional percussion instrument, at a gathering event.

“Diversity brings abundance,” said Yoshiko Takeuchi, co-representative of Shikoku Global Network. “We will continue to create opportunities for international exchanges to cultivate talent in the region so that they can contribute to the global community.”