This past week, migrant arrivals to Hungary so far this year surpassed the 300,000 mark. But the right-wing government in Budapest has taken a hard line against migrants, building fences along the country's borders, and passing new laws that make it illegal to enter Hungary without a visa. Prime Minister Viktor Orban says mostly Muslim migrants threaten Hungary's Christian character.

But a bunch of Budapest-based foodies are hoping cuisine can heal prejudice. The name of the Körítés food festival is a play on the Hungarian words for "fence" and "side dish." The week of foodie events — including special menus, cooking demonstrations, art projects for children, pub quizzes — ended Sunday, but organizers hope to raise funds to extend the festival, and expand it to other Hungarian cities.

"If you don't know something, you can be afraid of it," Peter says. "And if you do something which can make you closer to that culture, it can help you understand each other — and stop the fear, and make something new."

At Kisuzem, a recently arrived refugee, Luwam Melake, hands out special menus printed with facts about food and culture in her native Eritrea.

"Most of them [Hungarians] don't know anything about Eritrea. They don't even know the name Eritrea!" says Melake, who is 27. "You can just see it on their faces. Because you're an immigrant, they don't accept you like someone normal. I haven't had any bad comments, but the attitudes are there."

As part of the festival, Melake and her cousin, Saba Tesfay, perform a traditional Eritrean coffee ceremony for curious Hungarian onlookers. They hunker on low stools on the floor of the restaurant, and roast green coffee beans over an open fire, jiggling the beans in a metal pan, so that they don't burn.

"And then I grind them, and eventually put them in these jebena — clay pots — which they use in Eritrea and Ethiopia," Tesfay says."And then finally we drink the coffee."

She shares tiny cups of thick Eritrean coffee with her new Hungarian friends. Then the restaurant's cooks emerge with sizzling plates of injera, flat sourdough bread, piled with chickpea paste and meat stew. The chefs had a crash course in Eritrean cuisine last week, in preparation for the festival.

"It's my first time, and it's great!" says Victoria Csorgo, a Hungarian customer. "There is a sort of pancake, and it tastes a bit like rye bread," she says of the Eritrean injera bread. "On this pancake there are different stews made of beef and chicken. It's very spicy."

Another participating restaurant, Anker Klub, holds a pub quiz with questions about Syria."What is the internet suffix for webpages in Syria?" the MC asks. (Answer: .sy)

Körítés was organized by Hanna Mikes, with the Artemisszio Foundation, an NGO dedicated to intercultural dialogue and volunteerism in Hungary. She received a €5,000 grant (about U.S. $5,600) from Norway's development agency to fund the food festival.