A variety of traditional dishes from around the world was on display yesterday when the Bermuda Institute hosted its second annual cultural fair.

Peruvian fried rice, Italian pizza, “doubles” from Trinidad & Tobago, Portuguese doughnuts and Chinese fried rice were only a few of the offerings from 22 countries that captured the taste buds of residents at the event, which was hosted by BI’s Home and School Association.

Karinna Villanueva and her Peruvian colleague, Cecilia Razuiry, wore bright smiles when the container that held servings of their country’s traditional fried rice was almost empty after attendees bought the food.

She said people were interested in all the meals but the pastel de papa, or potato cake, seemed to be the dish in demand.

Katrina Ball, the president of the association, said the turnout was larger than last year as she noted that the group was impressed by the support the event received from residents, including parents.

She said: “We are really excited for the fact that this year it has grown.

“For the number of volunteers that we have had — from parents to community members, the churches — we are really impressed by that.

“The organisation of the event has been smooth and the Parade of Nations was exciting to watch.

“The foods that we have prepared are traditionally from the ethnic backgrounds of the countries at the event.”

Ms Ball said the aim of the day was to “bring the community together” and she added: “Definitely as a school we want to expose our students to as much cultural diversity as we can and give them that experience.

“And for our Bermudian community, it is to show how we can unite as one with different experiences because we can learn so much from other cultures.”

Linda Holdipp, the school’s principal, added: “We are excited by the amount of people who have found the time in their schedule to join us today.

“We have been studying, in our different classes, the cultures of countries so each class was given a country to study.

“The teachers were challenged to implement something that will relate to their course work with the countries that the children were given.”

Ms Holdipp said the event was successful and she noted that the school was happy to showcase the different cultures of people who live in Bermuda.

She said: “We get to understand each other and it brings a unified experience for our people.

“Hopefully it will allow us to be more patient and help us to understand the various people that are in our community, so that we can become one.”

Ms Holdipp said the fair was one of the school’s largest fundraising events and that the institution, which has a population of 236 pupils, and the association will look at aspects of the fair that can be further explored next year.

This year, vegan and vegetarian dishes were showcased at the event and Ms Holdipp said the health of the island’s population was considered when the menu idea was finalised.

“We encourage healthy living and we believe that a vegetarian diet is a healthier diet,” she added.