Food is one of the most important parts of celebrations for, births, deaths, and marriages around the world. It is an important staple in everyday living and a person cannot survive without it. Food and culture are closely intertwined, cultures of every part of the world go to considerable lengths to obtain and prepare meals for important celebrations. In this paper I hope to inform you of the different staple diets of Africa, some important celebrations that use food in their celebrations, and the culture that completes the circle. I will answer some questions of why food is important and what types of foods are common uses in today’s African society. Unlike the United States, where corn and wheat is commonly found in all ingredients, …show more content…
The top three biomes, which are seen in Africa, are deserts having little to no water for several weeks; savannahs has a wet and a dry season, and the rainforest where there is an abundance of water. These are important details, when we are sorting out the details for why various food sources were abundant and in some areas, yet in others; they were scarcely available if not at all. “The essential staples in Africa includes yams, cassava, green bananas, plantains, sorghum, millet, barley and lentils” These were known to be used either in combination or added with meat as a flavoring, if it were available. Later after trade routes were formed and settlers from outside countries and influences had been established, other staples were slowly introduced into the lives of Africans. Asian influences brought rice, curries, and other spices. Kenyans in the east traded with Arabs for dried fruits and spices. The coastal areas of Africa would trade with the Chinese and the British, which brought in “pigs, sheep, goats, asparagus, oranges, lemons, and limes.” Of …show more content…
Traditionally, death is based on religion and culture. One of the most highly regarded men, Nelson Mandela a chief of the Xhosa, a national hero for many, was buried in his native ritual. The Xhosa had performed specific rituals that were only done when the person whom died was not in the home land. They believe that this ritual would make sure that the soul can return with the ancestors. The Xhosa believe that if done correctly, it would “please the creator and the ancestors who mediate between the creator, bringing good fortune and protection to the family”. During the travel back home, specialist must perform sacred rituals in order to pull the spirit towards the homeland. There are special herbs that they use in this process, while they sing songs of praise. For the funeral, a slaughter of cattle must take place using a traditional spear. The body would then be buried with personal possession, either lying down or in a sitting position. The widow or widows in mourning were not to prepare meals. Another member of the tribe would make sure that they are well fed during the long six months grievance process. After the process is finished there is yet another ceremony where gifts are given to the widow and the children to either replace items of the deceased. Depending upon the status of the person, the
Taking a deeper look at the meaning behind food through the eyes of traditional societies reveals nothing more than absolute complexity. Sam Gill, in Native American Religions, indisputably shows the complexity through detailed performances and explanations of sacred ceremonies held among numerous traditional societies. Ultimately, Gill explains that these societies handle their food (that gives them life), the source in which the good is obtained, and the way they go about getting their food are done in extreme symbolic manners that reflect their cosmology, religious beliefs, actions, and respect for ancestors/spirits that live among them. All of which are complexly intertwined. These aspects are demonstrated through the hunting traditions of the Alaskan Eskimo and the agricultural traditions of the Creek.
Michael Twitty is a food writer and culinary historian best known for preparing, preserving and promoting African American food ways and its origins in Africa. He emphasizes how African food culture has made a great impact on the American South. His cooking helped him to learn about his identity and culture. He describes “identity cooking” a way to better understand him and his culture as a Jewish-African American. A project he developed called “The Cooking Gene” is what he explains as a means of “exploring my family history through food, from Africa to America, from slavery to freedom.” Race, food and ethnicity all have a more complex and cultural meaning especially when fused together. Different
For the Torres Strait Islanders, death is something that is not taken lightly. The people of this indigenous community do not fear death; however, the death of friends and family members brings extreme grief, just as it does with any other society. In some ways the Torres Strait Islander’s death ceremonies are no different than ours, they mainly consist of a burial and a mourning period. Although there are some similarities, there are many more differences.
The interviewee that was questioned helped to collect and understand information with regards to food culture and food consumption based on changes through time. I interviewed a woman who lives near me who is in her early 60s who has lived in Canada her full life. Examining someone who has lived in Canada her full life was interesting because I was able to compare how food production and consumption has changed so much. Through looking at my interviewees food habits of when she was younger through up until now linking it to the concepts learned in class it helps to understand the ever-changing food culture. Alternative food movements are needed to help provide people with better choices because industrialized food and production
In the Jewish faith, death is seen as a natural process. Jewish rituals surrounding death focus on showing respect for the deceased and consolation for the living. After death, the body is never left alone. The body is laid on the floor, covered, and candles are lit with the “shomerim” meaning “guards” watching over the body. Many Jewish communities have a burial society, called the chevra kaddisha (holy society), that clean the body and wrap the body in a plain linen shroud. The body can not be cremated or embalmed and autopsies are discouraged. Coffins are not required according to Jewish customs, but if one is used, there must be holes drilled into them, so they come in contact with the ground. The dead are placed in a plain casket and buried within 24 hours, before sunset, on the day of death. Jewish mourning traditions begin grief with the tearing of one’s clothing (Rich, 1996). Mourners “cut their clothing with a razor- on the left for a parent; on the right for a spouse, child, or sibling- to symbolize the tear in life that death has produced (cite textbook, pg 358).” After burial of the deceased, a healing meal is made for the family, which is followed by the next phase of mourning, known as shiva. Shiva is a seven day ritual in where mourners sit on low stools or on the floor, do not wear shoes, do not shave, do not work, do not bathe, have sex, or eat meat, and remain in the same clothes they tore at the time of death. Following shiva, mourners do not attend social gathering for 30 days, this is known as shloshim. If someone is mourning a parents death, the “shloshim” is expanded to one year (Rich, 1996).
The village of Umuofia in the late 19th century to the turn of the 20th century was the setting for Achebe’s book, Things fall apart. The Igbo people were a superstitious people who centered a good portion of their lives harvesting yams. In fact, Ondo, Kevers, & Dommes (2013) stated that “yams (Dioscorea spp.) are tuber crops used as staple food in Africa because of their nutritional value and that the genus Dioscorea belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family and comprises approximately 600 species, mainly distributed in subtropical and temperate areas of Africa” (p. 653). Underdeveloped countries such as Africa rely heavily on nutritional crops to feed their people. Without these tropical growing yams, alternate food sources would have to be found.
The coming in of Europeans in Africa resulted in many changes. At first their arrival led to the improvement of trade, though a lot of minerals were taken away by them. But things turned worse when that trade turned into the selling and buying of human beings. From that time many things happened to the African people. Some of the things that happened were the arrival of missionaries who had also an impact on the African community. Later on it was the conquest and the partition of Africa. Many of these experiences that happened when the Europeans arrived affected Africans negatively. This paper will reflect on the changes and the consequences that happened when Europeans encountered Africans.
The funeral ceremonies and burials of the Igbo people are extremely complex, the most elaborate of all being the funeral of a chief. However, there are several kinds of deaths that are considered shameful, and in these circumstances no burial is provided at all. Women who die in labour, children who die before they have no teeth, those who commit suicide and those who die in the sacred month – for these people their funeral ceremony consists of being thrown into a bush.
In the film Food, Inc., viewers are shown inside the world of chicken farming, among other things. We are told who controls the meat market, and then we are taken to a few of their actual chicken farms. It is clear from these farms that the chickens are not taken very good care of; however, this is not entirely the fault of the farmers, but primarily the fault of the big-name companies that own these chickens. The farmers can only do so much to ensure quality in the care of the chickens when they have a quota to meet. As a result, the chickens are fed food that does not serve to give them nutrients, but food that fattens them up quickly. Often times chickens became
The accessibility of the Mediterranean diet in the south of Benin is quite questionable. Expensive food is available but many people are not willing to sell food people eat just from time to time. So Mediterranean food is difficult to find and allow the region’s food to be sold almost everywhere.
Foods from Africa, which have impacted North American cuisine are numerous, and common in the everyday eating habits of Americans. In the 21st century, Americans take for granted the history of the food they eat, and the origins of the foods that are eaten today. In the early part of the history of the United States, people of European descent brought recipes from home and adapted their recipes to the ingredients which were available. The slave trade was directly responsible for what many Americans think of as American food, and those foods are traceable to Africa. Because slaves incorporated their own foods into the everyday lives of their masters, some of the unique foods from Africa and their history are not well known today. American
However, due to the effects of globalization, modern African cuisine and cooking draws upon an assortment of ethnic traditions merged with the seasonings and tastes of outside countries (AIG, 2011). In general, European explorers and traders introduced several important food staples to t...
...eir nation in any way, they just rest. Also when someone dies, a big celebration is thrown, celebrating the person's life and achievement, and paying tribute to acknowledgment them and there work, and they are buried, in an isolated sector of the land called "After Life ".
To show respect, the body is never left alone. Burial usually occurs with 24 hours after death, but allowances are sometimes made so family can travel or for arrangements to be finalized. The body is washed, not embalmed, and there is no public viewing of the body. Also, the Jewish people do not believe in cremation of the body. The body is buried in a plain, metal free wooden casket with holes drilled in top so the body comes into contact with the earth. The Kaddish prayer is recited after the coffin has been lowered and the grave filled. There is a meal of condolence, usually eggs and bread, prepared for the family. After the meal, condolence calls from friends are permitted. A tombstone is place anytime within the first year. There is a short unveiling ceremony where people recite Psalms and reminiscence about the deceased. There are special days for visiting the grave and a stone is left in place of flowers. The money spent on flowers can be given in a person’s memory to elevate their soul and the stone is left so people will know that someone visited. The stone is a symbol of eternity and will live on unlike the
A cuisine cannot simply be defined as a particular group of food associated with a geographic location. To understand a cuisine equal understanding of the culture to which it belongs must exist. A culture, such as the population of Italy, manipulates the presentation and substances of a cuisine to something representative of that culture. This makes a cuisine much more than food on a plate; a cuisine includes history, both of those making the dish and the ingredients and cooking styles that form the final product. A cuisine includes pride of nationality and personality. Similarly culture is more than a geographic location; it is a way of living and a respect for a group of beliefs and traditions. To understand this relationship between culture and cuisine certain information must be addressed; information such as the demographic figures surrounding a culture, the specific effect Italian culture has on Italian food, as well as the ingredients and cooking skills applied in the Italian cuisine. Consequences of the Italian cuisine will also be identified, both nutritional value and health detriments and how these effects may continue into the future.