The origins of food culture in the West date back to the slave trade during the colonial period!
Assoc. Prof. Murat Doğan, vice dean of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF), and faculty member of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, spoke to the Anadolu Agency Discrimination Line about the slave trade in the colonial period and the origins of western food culture.
Assoc. Prof. Murat Doğan, vice dean of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF) and faculty member of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, spoke to the Anadolu Agency Discrimination Line about the slave trade in the colonial period and the origins of western food culture.
Assoc. Prof. Murat Doğan, vice dean of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF) and faculty member of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, talked about the transformation of eating and drinking habits in the West.
“African slaves ate mostly vegetables. By blending these ingredients and cooking techniques with the taste of their masters, they created a meal that would make both slaves and their owners happy.”
Vegetable and fruit seeds carried by slaves brought from Africa to the American and European continents during the colonial period made significant contributions to the development of different cuisines in Western countries.
Doğan stated that slaves brought from Africa positively changed the culinary habits in Western countries, saying, "When we look at African slaves in the 15th and 16th centuries, they primarily consumed vegetables. They ate foods like okra, greens, sweet potatoes, and sorghum. They combined these ingredients and cooking techniques with the tastes of their masters, creating a style of cooking that made both the slaves and their masters happy."
Doğan pointed out that many plants, such as okra, hot peppers, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes, which are widely consumed worldwide and considered staple ingredients in the kitchen, were transported between continents through the slave trade. He also mentioned that during the periods when slaves were bought and sold as commodities between continents, they managed to bring some plant seeds with them, saying, "African slaves initially started working in those places we call plantations, integrated facilities, and farms. Then they rose in the kitchens and became the cooks of these kitchens. They had techniques, methods, and ingredients they used. With these, they cooked for both their masters and their fellow slaves."
Injustice, inequality and paradoxes still continue!
Associate Professor Doğan pointed out that the materials transported within the context of the slave trade initially resulted in the exchange between the continents of Europe, America, and Africa, and later spread key ingredients around the world. He mentioned that because the fundamental ingredients we use in our kitchens today did not exist in the past, if we tried the dishes cooked in those regions in the past, we might find them strange today. "For example, the tomato, which is among the most basic ingredients in the kitchen today, was first brought from the Americas to Europe as a potted plant, and its consumption started later. In Turkish cuisine, in the absence of tomato paste, products like sour plum paste were used to give a sour taste," he said.
Doğan emphasized that even though slavery has been abolished, injustices, inequalities, and paradoxes still exist in today's world as they did in the past. "On one hand, millions of dollars are spent on health problems arising from obesity. On the other hand, children in Africa are dying from hunger and famine. One side experiences health issues due to consuming fatty and excessive food, while the other side faces health problems because they can't find enough food," he concluded.
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