The FoodBridge vzw as part of its ‘Eating across cultures’ program, is in Week van de Smaak

In line with our aim of using food to highlight global food cultures, we are participating in this year’s ‘Week van de Smaak’ in Brussels. Since the theme for 2014 is sustainable food, we are showcasing cassava(also known as tapioca, manioc and yuca) as the ultimate sustainable crop across the globe. Many in the world especially in developing countries rely on cassava for most of their calories and it’s by products are also used as vegetable, animal feed, medication, cosmetics, drink, fuel and for industries in the developed world, it is an important component of many of their products . The importance of cassava in the diet and life of people in developing countries is aptly captured by the Nigerian historian Chima Korieh (2007) when he stated that ‘Yam is king but cassava is the mother of all crops’. This crop has the ability to grow in poor soil all year round and is easier to preserve for long periods than other plants. We are also highlighting the importance of Yam in different cultures of the world. Thus we will be presenting yam dishes too.

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To see the world through food, as I now do, is to see it with lateral vision, to understand how apparently disparate phenomena are in fact connect – Carolyn Steel

Food is such a mundane thing that some believe it is nothing more than just a means of sustenance. I remember the comments from people when they realised my doctorate research was on food and identity. Some felt it was too trivial to be worthy of a serious academic pursuit. However, a few minutes spent with some of them, soon showed them that food is not just of nutritional value but also of cultural, economic, political and religious importance.

In no time in history is the movement of food and cuisines as rampant as it has been since the last century. Once people began moving from their homes to different parts of the world, so did their food and food-related customs or norms. These encounters between people of different cultures do not lead to a simple adaptation to new food but sometimes give rise to a fusion of the new and the indigenous to create an entirely new food culture. Many a times these food fusions have led to new variations of dishes unknown in the homeland but accepted in the new place as authentic.The British curry dishes come to mind.

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