According to freely magazine, Does food have a culture?

Eating Leaves….

Each time I go to the garden to pick vegetables. I remember a conversation I had with the Nutritionist/ Dietician about eating vegetables, a variety of different veggies and not just leaves.

She suggested I eat lots of green, yellow, red peppers and Mushrooms and not Just leaves. This statement got me thinking and asking myself questions.

According to freely magazine, Does food have a culture? “There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. … On a larger scale, food is an important part of the culture. Food moves from generation to generation. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity.”

If I should mention, My Dietician is from a different culture to mine hence the differences in understanding my African culture and foods/vegetables available.

At this point, I realized the differences in culture and the role it plays in modern-day eating and food choices.

Food has a culture. Different cultures eat different foods, including what you call greens or leaves.

Eating habits and food choices indicate from which part of the world you originate. Food is the root of every culture. It’s the centerfold or the spine that holds the culture together.

There are over 3,000 species of tubers, seed and leaf vegetables in the African food cuisine. As a black African, I grew up eating different leaf vegetables, ranging from bean leaves, Amaranth leaves, pumpkin leaves, Kale leaves, spinach, quinoa leaves, sweet potato leaves, and so many more.

I did not eat green pepper, yellow pepper and celery or rocket, simply because that is not in my culture. Eating button mushrooms every day for breakfast is an acquired taste. I am not saying I don’t eat them; I do. However, it is not a part of my culture. I do eat mushrooms, of course, in case you are wondering out of convenience.

Similarly, If I dwell deeper into my culture, you notice our breakfast will consist mostly of organic foods. Millet porridge or Sorghum porridge or boiled sweet potatoes would be breakfast, and for a snack, I would have a roasted piece of cassava tuber and roasted groundnuts or wild fruits. Something Simple and grown in our garden .

The leaves, however, made us grow up into healthy and beautiful adults. Rarely did we fall sick or suffer from Obesity- story for another day. We grew up into strong young men and women, and now we are strong adults.

The so-called leaves have Vitamin A, C, Iron, calcium, protein. Traditional leafy vegetable crops such as amaranth, corchorus and cleome are important sources of food and nutrients. They have high nutritional value and contain significant calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Amaranth and chorchorus are also rich in protein and fibre.Source

The green leaves come in different varieties and enhanced by cooking in different ways, ranging from adding pounded groundnuts to adding a little oil to mixing it with Fish or meat. It may sound strange to non-black Africans. Similarly, we find it odd when people eat certain foods that are not in our culture. We find it unusual, of course; however, We understand that eating culture is different in every country you visit. There is a bit of similarity here and there across Africa. I know for a fact, Cassava is eaten in many parts of Africa.

Over the years, other cultures have influenced our palate. However, we remain true to our eating habits as it is a part of our African Identity.

The next time you are in Africa, Try traditional authentic African food. You might enjoy it.

Coming back to the dietician, I’m sure you all know what happened next.

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