To what Extent can Colonialism be Recognized in Modern British Cuisine?

The Relation of Colonization to British Food. Great Britain was one of the great empires during the period of discovery from the sixteenth century through the nineteenth century and the empire's colonies impacted the culture and cuisine in Great Britain. The British colony invaded, conquered and colonized some countries, the eastern seaboard of North America and all of Canada, many islands of the Caribbean, parts of India and Southeast Asia, much of the south and eastern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and many Islands in the South Pacific with this vast source of resources, as well as numerous instances of soldiers and aristocrats travelling to these lands and returning home with stories, food and servants. It is no wonder that the cuisine in Britain was impacted. (Macveigh, 2009, p.149) Most important food contributions from colonial lands included:  Indigenous products from America such as potato, tomatoes and turkey Asia - curries, teas, sugar and spices. ...

How Asia Made its Recognition in British Lives The tradition of tea drinking began in China and it became a popular practice there. Even though containers for tea have been found in tombs dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), it was under the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), that tea became securely established as the national beverage of China. (UK Tea & Infusion Association). It had not been even heard of in the west in this period. On 23 September 1658, the London republican newspaper Mercurius Politicus carried the first advert for tea in the British isles, announcing that a “China drink called by the Chinese, Tcha, by other Nations Tay alias Tee” was available in a coffee house in the city (Khaleeli, 2016). This was the first tea brought to Britain by the East India Company. It was an expensive product, accessible to the upper-class and often kept under lock and key (Lemm, 2019). Shortly after, the wife (Catherine of Braganza) of the Charles II became tea addict a...

How Colonization Impacted Food Traditions Not only did the colonies contribute to British cuisines, but they also re-shaped the food traditions along the time. The nineteenth-century termed as a period of rapid social transformation as new dietary practices emerged in this era. During this time, the choice and preparation of foods, meal times and order of service were socially important and defined class demarcation (Leong-Salobir, 2011). Gender role – Men regarded as the head, sole breadwinner of the family (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.) House-maker, food preparation, food consumption, such tasks became housewifely responsibility. The role of a memsahib became remarkably important for an imperial household (Leong-Salobir, 2011). New food - Food manufacturers began to produce exotic foods such as pickles, sauces, curry powders etc. The eating habits of returning East India Company merchants and officials had popularized curries in private homes and coffee houses in the...

Views of the Britishers on the impact of foods from colonies on British modern cuisine During our project, we have made research in relation to the question “to what extent can colonialism be recognized in modern British cuisine?”.  Based on our research question we have read theory from the books, academic articles and various online sources. Besides, we have done interviews with 8 different native speakers. As a result of our research, we came to the conclusion that there is an enormous effect of ‘Colonization’ in modern British food culture. The British colonies invaded a wide variety of countries like North America, Canada, Caribbean islands, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, many islands in the South Pacific, India in large-scale. Based on the results of all interviews it is worth mentioning that most of our interviewees consume potatoes and tomatoes regularly. They consume sugar, curry and spices frequently but not as much as potatoes and tomatoes. Although most o...

Alvarez, L. (2019, June 4). Colonization, Food, and the Practice of Eating. Retrieved from: https://foodispower.org/our-food-choices/colonization-food-and-the-practice-of-eating/ Barrows, M. (2013). Tudor Food. Retrieved from: http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/tudors/food.html Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). United Kingdom - Cultural change. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom/Cultural-change Ferro, M. (2005). Colonization. Retrieved from: https://books.google.nl/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0QOIAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=what+is+colonization&ots=9d8_CZAs1J&sig=XocsdPwFxwNea7EHxkmoPOKQ8u0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=what%20is%20colonization&f=false Johnson, B., (2015). Afternoon Tea. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from: https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Afternoon-Tea/ Jackson, Ashley (2013). The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction. OUP. ISBN 978-0-19-960541-5. Johnson, B. (2017, November 7). The History of British Foo...