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BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA
Kuah Pliek U | Local Secrets Of Indonesian Cuisine - Great Family Cooking In Banda Aceh
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BEHIND THE GLOBAL COOKBOOK
Learn more about the story behind The Global Cookbook
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MAKING PEOPLE CURIOUS ABOUT PEOPLE

With the stories in our films, we want to make people curious about people. We hope that one day The Global Cookbook will become the largest multilingual and open-access cinemathèque for the preservation, exchange of cultures, cuisines and different ways of life around the world.

THE GLOBAL COOKBOOK
is a journey

Our films will take you across all continents, to unique people, their stories and always towards authentic homemade recipes. Prepared in pots, pans, woks or on a spit, cooked on fire, gas, induction or in lime juice. Somewhere in the world, but always at home.

Dung | Hanoi, Vietnam | Episode 7

Welcome TO THE
GLOBAL COOKBOOK!

Check out the trailer

Watch the latest episode

BANDA ACEH | INDONESIA

FAMILY & NEIGHBORS | KUAH PLIEK U | ACEH CURRY DISH

In this episode we are guests at a unique outdoor kitchen in Banda Aceh, Indonesia! Eight women from the neighborhood cook together a delicious kitchen classic of the local culinary culture: Kuah Pliek U. This homemade vegetarian dish, captivates with its flavor spectrum of fresh coconut, jackfruit and papaya, chilies, local herbs and vegetables. This episode from Banda Aceh is very special because all the people in it survived the devastating 2004 tsunami. In Banda Aceh alone, over 25000 people lost their lives on December 26, 2004. Many of them report in very personal and moving impressions of this horrible and loss-filled day of their lives. To this day, the trauma of that day is firmly rooted in the reality of people’s lives. And yet, the strength, joy and hope for a peaceful future for all in this film is something beautiful.

Hi, my name is Bastian

The Global Cookbook is a gift to the future as it encapsules our present world. With this long-term project we tell various personal stories of people, their daily lives and their culture. We capture the joys, sorrows, hopes, challenges and emotions of their everyday life. All portraits have one thing in common – preparing a typical dish of the country’s cuisine at home. There is no script, all stories are told exclusively by the films‘ protagonists. In these times of growing exclusion, climate change and populism we are aiming to raise people’s curiosity about other people again. With this project we are promoting the diversity of cultures and celebrating the life of each individual. For a respectful future where global challenges can only be solved together.

SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD, BUT ALWAYS AT HOME

A blue house in the countryside of Malaysia. What stories, people, homemade recipes and dishes might be waiting behind this door?

„I wish I had the education of Harry Potter. I wish I had that magic power and kill all the evils, you know? But it’s just a dream.“

Queena, Sibu, Borneo, Malaysia | Episode 4

Behind every homemade dish is hiding a human life and a unique story.

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Dung | Hanoi, Vietnam | Episode 7

Every day millions of delicious meals and unique recipes are prepared at home. Since we can’t be everywhere unfortunately, we probably pass by more closed doors to living spaces than open ones. But sometimes something wonderful happens, something very sensual. From these private worlds, tantalizing smells enter our noses through a small window slit or a door crack. Curious, we wonder what delicious food is being prepared there and who is preparing it. How many breakfasts, lunches or dinners have we participated in this way in our lives, namely in passing?

There is a very strong memory of a feeling from my childhood. On Saturday mornings, I would often lie in my parents‘ living room. I did nothing but lie there and feel embraced by two great things that were happening around me at the same time. The very soothing and monotonous sound of my father’s lawn mower humming from the backyard and the wonderful smells from my mother’s kitchen where she was preparing a home-cooked meal. Meals at my parents‘ house are still associated with this memory of my childhood Saturdays.

Preparing food and eating it together for me are a universal language. It can connect people not through words but through senses. And yet, behind each of the millions of dishes that are cooked every day behind mostly closed doors there is always one single person with an individual life story. I would like to tell about these people in my films. People who not only cook but with their story make a recipe and its preparation an unforgettable and personal experience. 

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Kak | Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand | Episode 9 & 10

I am happy about every door that not only lets seductive scents out through small slits but opens up completely to the story behind it.

Support the Global Cookbook

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Oanh (r.) | Hanoi, Vietnam | Episode 8

If you like our films and stories, feel free to support us and our work. Everything is 100% handmade, just like the dishes in our documentaries. There is no production company behind The Global Cookbook, as we always want to tell independent and authentic people stories. Thank you for being part of The Global Cookbook!

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

If you have any questions about The Global Cookbook drop us a mail. We look forward to your message.

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