Buffalo Without Borders, a fundraiser put on by the International Institute of Buffalo was a great Thursday night at Ashbury Hall.

The event, filled with people from all around the world was a night of great culture, dance and not to mention, food. I was thrilled to attend and get a chance to taste specialities from places and restarants in Buffalo that I had never been to before. With foods from Ethiopia, Peru, Burma and India among others, nobody left the event hungry.

Here is a look at the dishes that were served at Buffalo Without Borders and my thoughts on most of them—spoiler alert: they were all great.

Our first taste was from Pure Peru, an authentic Peruvian restaurant located on Grant St. We were treated to stuffed potatoes filled with olives, raisins, egg, onions garlic and paprika, chicken with parmesan cheese, yellow peppers from Peru, heavy cream and pecans and a white rice pudding with raisins, condensed milk and coconut milk. Never having had Peruvian food, I was really excited to try this. I thought the chicken and rice was a great dish.

Next up was a sushi selection from Wegmans. On the plate for tasting was a few variations including vegetable rolls, cooked seafood rolls, raw seafood rolls, coconut shrimp rolls, firecracker rolls and tempura rolls. I’m a huge fan of sushi and although these samples weren’t incredibly creative, they were a delicious simple addition to the menu for the night.

Continuring our world tour through dinner, we tried some food from Gatur’s Ethiopian Cuisine, located on Allen St. in Buffalo. A popular spot for attendees at the event, we tried the Sambusa with ground beef, onions, garlic and hot peppers stuffed and fried with an option of lentils. I was a huge fan of this dish and really liked the chutney (Ethiopian hot sauce) that was offered as well. The bagia, which were ground up chick pea patties were another dish that they had run out of by the time I stopped by—must have been good stuff.

Next, we tried a couple dishes from Sun Restaurant, an authentic Burmese and Thai restaurant located on Niagara St. Having heard rave reviews from this place, I was looking forward to trying out the food. We tasted an incredibly flavorful black rice salad which was made up of avocado, mango, red pepper, spring mix, cashew nuts, peanuts and home-style dressing. Also on the plate was a Burmese chicken curry which was mixed with masala, chicken, potato, ginger, garlic, onion and chili.

Finally up on the list was Taste of India, located on Sheridan Dr. in Amherst. Although I didn’t see any representatives from this restaurant, small bowls of chicken masala for tasting. Ever since trying my first Indian food at UB while in college, I’ve always been a fan of the bold flavors and spices.

Overall, the event was a delicious night and filled with new ethnic specialties that I was either a huge fan of or had never tried before. Buffalo Without Borders was a complete success with a great selection of wine from Niagara Landing Wine Cellars, Opici Wine Company and The Premier Group, not to mention handmade crafts and gifts for sale as well. It was wonderful to meet and interact with people from all over the world and to learn about their cultures.

For more information on the event and the International Institute of Buffalo, head over to their website for details.