Caribbean Culinary History (The Moreish Podcast)
Dive into the history of cookbooks in the Caribbean with Keja Valens, author of “Culinary Colonialism, Caribbean Cookbooks, and Recipes for National Independence”.
From casava to coocoo: Blending history and cuisine
The Caribbean is a region known for its rich history, diverse culture, and is a melting pot of culinary traditions. Keja Valens, a professor at Salem State University, takes us on a journey on this episode of The Moreish Podcast through her book Culinary Colonialism, Caribbean Cookbooks, and Recipes for National Independence to uncover the layers of creolization and culinary exchanges that define Caribbean cuisine.
Her work explores how the Caribbean’s tumultuous colonial past has shaped its contemporary food culture and identity, a core topic of The Moreish Podcast. The conversation explores the concept of culinary colonialism, examining how European cookbook authors denigrated Indigenous and African foods while simultaneously highlighting the post-colonial reclamation of these traditions.
We talk about the myths surrounding cannibalism and scarcity in the Caribbean, the process of creolization, and the ongoing debate about what constitutes “native” Caribbean culture and cuisine. The podcast episode concludes by emphasizing the crucial role of women in preserving and transmitting Caribbean culinary traditions.
“European explorers could find no established civilization, no homes, no hearths. People and food had to be scarce, or so barbaric that they hardly qualified as human.”
Caribbean Culinary Colonialism: A Complex Legacy
Valens’ exploration into early colonial cookbooks reveals how these texts were often promoting European ingredients, like white flour and potatotes, and methods as superior while labelling Caribbean ingredients as inadequate and dangerous. Over time the Indigenous, African, and Asian influences were integrated, transforming the Caribbean culinary landscape into something truly unique and independent. This culinary colonialism had a lasting impact, introducing new ingredients and shaping culinary practices in the Caribbean.
Recipes for National Independence
The journey to national independence in the Caribbean was mirrored in its culinary writings. As Caribbean nations sought their autonomy, so too did their recipes evolve to reflect a diverse heritage. Independence-era cookbooks began to reclaim and celebrate native foods, moving away from colonial influences and highlighting the nutritional and cultural richness of traditional ingredients like yams and cassava.
Creolization: A Culinary and Cultural Evolution
As enslaved Africans taken to the Caribbean and Indigenous people were forced together. They shared knowledge and culinary traditions, leading to the emergence of Creole cuisine. Creole food blends European, Indigenous, African, and later, Asian influences, creating a vibrant tapestry of flavours. Dishes like pepperpot, a stew with Indigenous origins that incorporates European meats and sometimes African plantains, exemplify this fusion of culinary heritage. This mixing is not only evident in food but also in the language, music, and cultural practices of the region. Creolization is portrayed as an ongoing act of cultural creation and adaptation.
Reclaiming and redefining “Native” and “Authentic” Cuisine
Valens tackles the complex question of what it means to be “native” in the Caribbean context. With the rise of independence movements, Caribbean people began to reclaim their culinary heritage, redefining what it meant to be “native”. They celebrated dishes like coocoo and duckunoo, which combined African techniques with New World ingredients, highlighting the ingenuity and adaptability of Caribbean cooks. Today, cookbooks and recipes serve as cultural artifacts that capture a narrative of resilience, creativity, and survival through centuries of adaptation.
About Keja Valens
Keja Valens is Professor of English at Salem State University. She teaches and writes on Caribbean literatures, literatures of the Americas, queer theory, and food writing. Her recent publications include Culinary Colonialism, Caribbean Cookbooks, and Recipes for National Independence (Rutgers UP, 2024), Home Cooking: Diaspora and Transnational Caribbean Cookbooks (Becoming Home: Diaspora and the Anglophone Transnational, Vernon Press, 2021), Caribbean Ecopoetics: The Categorial Imperative and Indifference in the Caribbean Environment (Caribbean Literature in Transition, 1970-2020, Cambridge UP, 2020). She is also author of Desire between Women in Caribbean Literature (Palgrave, 2013). When she is not teaching or writing, she gardens, cooks, and eats.
