Sponsored by

Join chefs from some of the major rice regions of the world as they share what rice means to their own cultural culinary heritage, and talk about their favourite, iconic regional rice dish. All woven together with insight from Professor Dorian Fuller into the history of rice and how trade links meant that rice cultivation travelled the world. 

with 

Ixta Belfrage on rice growing on the banks of the Amazon river as she shares reflections on Arroz de pato no tucupí - an Amazonian dish from Para state of Brazil.  

Rinku Dutt discussing how rice is an integral part of the food scene in West Bengal. In part because of the scale of its cultivation there, and also for the role it plays in the Bengali culture where it is considered auspicious and is surrounded by beautiful traditions that involve rice. 

Khadim Mane on the origins of jollof rice, focusing on the Senegalese dish Thiebou Dienne, He will share insights including where it came from, and how it spread throughout West Africa.  

Jeremy Pang on Cantonese claypot rice and the Hong Kong restaurants where it is a speciality, with the menus often written all over the walls of the restaurants for ease of picking from the various toppings.  

Included in Food Season Big Weekend Sunday or Weekend tickets, or available to book as a single session. Discounts available for over 60s and BL Members and half-price tickets for students and under 26s  

Food Season Big Weekend Day or Weekend Pass holders please note that entry to this event will be subject to venue capacity and early arrival is recommended. 

Ixta Belfrage’s style of cooking draws inspiration from three countries she grew up travelling to, eating in and obsessing over. Brazil (where her mum is from), Italy (where she lived as a child) and Mexico (where her granddad lived). She worked at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen for five years and is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling FLAVOUR  with Yotam Ottolenghi. In 2022 she published her first solo cookbook: MEZCLA, which was nominated for 'best debut cookbook' at the Fortnum & Mason Awards and 'best international cookbook' at the James Beard Awards. MEZCLA was named one of the best cookbooks of 2022 by The Independent, The Times, Bon Appetit, Amazon, Spectator and Squaremeal. In 2021 and 2022 Ixta was named ‘one of the most influential women in food’ by Code Hospitality. Ixta is a Contributing Editor at Elle Magazine and has also written for The Guardian, Suitcase Magazine and Pit Magazine. 

Rinku Dutt is a British-born third generation Kolkatan. Her roots trace back to Kolkata, India’s City of Joy, a city rich in culture and cuisine. Her inherent love for food led her, along with father Ron and husband Neelan, to open Raastawala, which serves homemade snacks and street eats popular in Kolkata, like the phuchka or spicy water bombs, Kati Roll and Nepalese-style momos. Raasta means street in Hindi. Her debut cookbook Kolkata: Recipes from the Heart of Bengal,  was published in 2022 by Melbourne-based Smith Street Books. Runku has also written recipes for three Leon cookbooks, and loves to host supper clubs and pop-ups. 

Dorian Q Fuller is Professor of Archaeobotany at University College London. He works on past agricultural systems and plant domestication through archaeological research in several regions, including Sudan and Ethiopia, the Near East, South Asia and China. He directed three research program on early rice cultivation in Asia supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (UK), from 2009-2019. He is author of Trees and Woodlands of South India. Archaeological Perspectives and a co-editor of Far From the Hearth (2019), Archaeology of African Plant Use (2014) and Climates, Landscapes and Civilizations (2012). He completed his BA at Yale University (1995) and PhD on The Emergence of Agricultural Societies in South India at Cambridge University (2000). He joined the faculty at UCL in 2000. 

Khadim Mane is the owner and head-chef of Little Baobab, a Senegalese restaurant based in London. Khadim has experience cooking a variety of cuisines, but found his passion in bringing Senegalese food, music and culture to London as there was a lack of Senegalese representation here. For the past 5 years, Khadim with Little Baobab has been making waves in London’s African dining scene, from his popular East London pop-ups and catering stints across the city, to trading at UK festivals WOMAD and We Out Here. Little Baobab has now opened a space in Peckham Levels, Khadim's first permanent venture in South London. He's famous for his jollof rice, has worked with a number of high profile customers and events, and has been featured on BBC World Service, Forbes Africa and in The Telegraph. 

Jeremy Pang is a TV Chef, best-selling author and founder of acclaimed cookery school School of Wok, continuing a line that spans three generations of Chinese chefs. The School of Wok established a permanent home in London’s Covent Garden in 2012 where it specialises in teaching Eastern cuisine. Jeremy's recipes have been featured in a wide variety of publications and online media including and he has made regular appearances on TV and radio, from Sunday Brunch and Nadiya's Family Feasts to Ready, Steady, Cook and BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet. His own show Jeremy Pang's Asian Kitchen ran on ITV in 2022 and his latest book Jeremy Pang's Simple Family Feasts appeared in 2023. 

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today.