The Roma are ethnic people who have migrated across Europe for a thousand years. The Roma culture has a rich oral tradition, with an emphasis on family. Often portrayed as exotic and strange, the Roma have faced discrimination and persecution for centuries.

Today, they are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Europe — about 12 million to 15 million people, according to UNICEF, with 70 percent of them living in Eastern Europe. 

Roma is the word that many Roma use to describe themselves; it means "people,".They are also known as Rom or Romany.

As a matter of survival, the Roma were continuously on the move. They developed a reputation for a nomadic lifestyle and a highly insular culture. Because of their outsider status and migratory nature, few attended school and literacy was not widespread. Much of what is known about the culture comes through stories told by singers and oral histories.

There are some unique and special aspects to Romani culture.

The Roma do not follow a single faith; rather, they often adopt the predominant religion of the country where they are living, and describe themselves as "many stars scattered in the sight of God." Some Roma groups are Catholic, Muslim, Pentecostal, Protestant, Anglican or Baptist.

The Roma live by a complex set of rules that govern things such as cleanliness, purity, respect, honor and justice. These rules are referred to as what is "Rromano." Rromano means to behave with dignity and respect as a Roma person. "Rromanipé" is what the Roma refer to as their worldview.

There is no specific "Roma cuisine"; it varies and is culinarily influenced by the respective countries where they have often lived for centuries.

 Hence, it is influenced by European cuisine even though the Romani people originated from the Indian subcontinent. Their cookery incorporates Indian and South Asian influences but is also very similar to Hungarian, Jewish cuisine, Eastern European cuisine, and Romanian cuisine.

 The cuisine of Muslim Romani people is also influenced by Balkan cuisine and Turkish cuisine.

During the workshops, the students from our school had the opportunity to learn about the music, food and traditional clothing....