Food beyond borders: A world on the move and connected by food
IOM, Abdirahman Olow
There are 272 million international migrants in the world today. As people move, so too does their culinary cultures, knowledge, and techniques for preparing and producing food. Millions of migrants are helping to change the food landscapes of cities around the world today. In New York, migrant farmers are producing new produce varieties through techniques imported from their home countries. These new varieties are being enjoyed by locals in restaurants in Midtown and Lower East Side Manhattan. With humble origins in Italy, pizza continues to be loved by many people around the world. In more ways than we can describe, the world continues to be connected by food through migration.
As we celebrate World Food Day this year, it is important to remember where our food comes from and the various ways it has gotten into our kitchen, grocery stores, national dishes and the world’s top restaurants.
Food expert and American author Padma Lakshmi touched on this link earlier this year while speaking in New York.
“You can trace a countries or civilizations food through everyone that has been through there…without migration we would have never had pomegranates which came from Africa… You can tell through Spanish food that it has had so much other influences on it; from the cumin, from the pomegranates, from all of the North African stuff and you can also see the Jewish influence before they were expelled. To me that intersection of food, culture, and history is really wonderful.”
Food Ambassador and migrant Omer Eltigani, who hails from Sudan and Ireland offers similar insight into Sudan’s cuisine and its global influences. “Our food is a story of migration, it is the story of people coming from different part of the world and coming into Sudan and leaving something behind, mixed in with the indigenous foods. Also Sudanese people leaving Sudan and sharing their culture and food with others in many parts of the world, it’s a reciprocal relationship that’s repeated countless times. Omer Eltigani travels the world today as a food Ambassador. He prepares Sudanese dishes for food events he hosts in cities like New York, Montreal, London, and Birmingham to tell the story of Sudan through food and to use food as a vehicle for education.
Many of the globes national cuisines and favorites are the result of centuries of contributions of many people. Migration continues to drive culinary evolutions.
“American as apple pie, there is nothing American about apple pie”
“Everything we think of as American, the hotdog; that is not America, it is German. It came here more than a hundred years ago through the world’s fair”. Not one ingredient in the apple pie, including the apples is from North America; not the refined sugar that is from down South, not the flour that is milled, not the lard that was rendered, Native Americans didn’t do that, not the cinnamon, which was from the other India, not the nutmeg. None of it and yet that has become so American”- Padma Lakshmi
In a world on the move, food continues to be a powerful force that is redefining national identities.
“What is American varies greatly depending on who you ask and when you ask the question. I think the greatest thing about this country is the fact that it is welcoming traditionally to all immigrants because that is what makes our culture so rich. We are able to distill the best of what we can extract from each culture and make our own uniquely American culture. If you look at what America is today, you are really looking at a country built by immigrants whether its Norwegian immigrants and their dependents from 200 years ago, Italian immigrants, Nigerian immigrants, Vietnamese immigrants. Everybody has something to contribute to this culture that is superior because of its immigrant population not because of its military or not because of its rampant capitalism. That is why they give visas to people all over the world, so they can come and contribute to this culture” — Padma Lakshmi
“Migration enriches us. Look at New York City. People have migrated all over the world to be here right now and have created this incredible city, with incredible diversity. New York and cities like New York are a testament to the positive story of migration, and of its goals and potential.” — Omer Eltigani
New York’s food scene owes much to its migrants. Throughout the five boroughs one can find food delicacies from all corners of the world. Whether one is looking for Indian, Italian, French, Ethiopian, Greek, or Nigerian, food, it is all here, along with many others too long to mention.
“At the very least [migration] brings about more delicious food” — Padma Lakshmi
