Diana Kennedy, the British-born author of several books on Mexican cuisines, died last month. Her New York Times obituary is here. Her death caused me to think about cultural appropriation in the food world: how newcomers or foreigners become authorities (authentic, such as Kennedy, or self-appointed) on a particular cuisine.
One of Diana Kennedy’s books from my collection.
Here are a few historic examples of food cultural appropriation. When Europeans settled in North America, they adopted Indigenous foods such as corn and potatoes without acknowledging the sources. White ladies would pass off recipes from their Black cooks as their own for Junior League cookbooks and other fundraising purposes. Then we have fusion cuisine, mash-ups of various foodways that can be excellent or abysmal. Wasabi mayonnaise, anyone?
Food cultural appropriation cuts both ways. Flour tortillas weren’t part of the Indigenous Mexican diet until Spanish colonization. Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches were an outgrowth of French colonization. Spam became part of Hawaiian diets when the military brought it over during World War II. Hawaii can claim the title of the most fusion cuisine in the United States.
After ruminating and writing, I’ve decided that it’s all cultural appropriation. There is no pure cuisine in this time of global travel and publications. Even Jacques Pépin doesn’t consider himself a French chef anymore.
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