TWENTY mouths are watering as Prem Singh holds up a tray of ground spices and explains how every Indian cook claims to have the best masala.

He passes round cups full of spice mixes designed for different dishes - meat, fish and vegetable - while in the background a tray of warm samosas sends out competing fragrances.

Prem is leading the first part of the Flavours of Govanhill tour, which aims to show the diversity of food and produce in an area with around 50 nationalities.

Food is a universal language and organisers from the Govanhill Community Development Trust (GCDT) hope to both bring the community together and introduce new people to the area.

Prem has brought us to Delicious Corner Bakery on Allison Street where he tells us about masala - spice blends that usually include peppercorns, cumin seeds, cardamom, star anise, nutmeg, bay leaves and coriander seeds, among others.

The samosas get our appetites going before we head along the street to the Glasgow Sweet Centre.

Its windows are full of vibrant colours and the staff inside are frantically preparing orders for Eid, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

We're given a tray of sweets to try - gulab jamun, barfi, ladoo and jalebi.

In between bites, local resident Gill West talks about why she chose to come on the food tour.

Gill has lived in the area for 35 years but recently moved to the Govanhill side of Queen's Park.

She said: "I really wanted to learn about the diversity of food that is available and break down the barriers of not going into the shops.

"I used to do all my veg shopping down this part of town but that slowly petered out and I wanted to find out what is on offer now."

She said she understand that people can be hesitant to try new things and believes the Flavours of Govanhill tour is a good way to break down barriers.

Gill added: "It's like a lot of things. People fear what they don't know.

"They don't understand the language and culture when actually the new things on offer are really exciting.

"The opportunities here are phenomenal."

Further along Allison Street is Ali's European Food Store, which stocks Slovakian food.

We're given a taste of Kofola - Slovakian cola - and there are samples of meat and smoked cheese to try.

For the area's Slovakian community, the shop is literally providing a taste of home.

And the same is said of Latino, a Romanian food store on Victoria Road.

Owned by Loredana Banciu, the shop opened four years ago and is a haven for Romanian newcomers to Glasgow who want a reminder of traditional food.

Sorana Goga, Community Development Worker at GCDT, is on hand to talk us through the mini market's wide array of produce.

She explains that Romanians love meat - "We eat a lot, a lot of meat" - but acknowledges that some of the cuts on offer aren't for everyone.

Sorana said: "We have chicken livers that are very popular and stomach to make tripe soup.

"It's really delicious but I think Scottish people hear the word 'tripe' and just think that's not for them.

"We have mici here. Mici is amazing and I believe that if more people knew about it they would be queueing up to buy it.

"It's ground meat with spices like garlic, black pepper, anise, paprika... we put it on the barbecue and it's the perfect snack with a beer."

The shop also sells sour milk, smoked cheeses, polenta, Romanian spice mixes and sweets - everything to provide a home from home.

Sorana added: "I really recommend Romania as a holiday destination because it's beautiful but if you are going and you are vegetarian my tip for you is to say that you're fasting.

"Otherwise, you will have nothing to eat but meat."

George Wardrop was on the tour with his son David, having travelled from Bearsden after seeing an advert in local cafe and market Locavore.

He had heard about Govanhill's negative reputation but decided to give it a try regardless.

He said: "I was told Govanhill is a bad area. Which is a shame. I never realised what a large ethnic mix there is here.

"It seems like a working class neighbourhood going back 50 years but then you have a place like [Locavore], which is like something from the West End.

"There is plenty here and it's worth trying."

The idea for the food tours came from regular Community Conversation events, held by GCDT, and which bring together local people to seek solutions to the area's problems.

Each has been fully booked with plans to bring the tours back to the area in the future.

Anne Gaughan is a teacher at local St Bride's Primary and wanted to see if the food tour would be something to bring her diverse mix of pupils together.

She said: "Being quite new to the area, I thought it would be a nice thing to do and I think it would be great for our pupils.

"It would show them things from a variety of cultures all in their own community.

"Some of them could teach me new things as well."

The final stop is Kurdish Kobane on Victoria Road, which sells a variety of Middle Eastern foods, and we are given baklava desserts to try.

Annie Macfarlane, a local resident and board member of GCDT, said: "Each Community Conversation is attended by between 30 and 40 folk and includes everyone from people who have lived here for generations, to new Scots from all over the world.

"Key themes that have emerged through these discussions are the need for community pride as well as a desire to work together to improve the local environment.

"There is no better way to bring people together than by sharing delicious food.

"We hope that by encouraging folk to sample the different cuisines of the area and visit shops they might otherwise walk past, we can play a role in breaking down barriers whilst also showcasing the rich diversity of local businesses in the area."