Food and Culture

People connect to their cultural or ethnic group through similar food patterns. Immigrants often use food as a means of retaining their cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. The ingredients, methods of preparation, preservation techniques and types of food eaten at different meals vary among cultures. Thus, the areas in which families live and where their ancestors originated influenced their food likes and dislikes.

Food items themselves have meaning attached to them. Moreover, nations or countries are frequently associated with certain foods.

Culture plays a role in food related etiquette. People in western societies for instance may refer to food related etiquette as ‘table manners’  a phrase that illustrates the cultural expectation of eating food or meals at a table. Some people eat with forks and spoons and others use their fingers of chopsticks. Among other groups, using both hands while eating is acceptable. In some countries, licking the fingers is polite while others consider it as impolite when licking the fingers after eating (and done only when a person thinks no one is watching).

The video above shows how some people eats some local foods with their hands since that is their tradition. The food tastes delicious and nice only when eaten that way.

Culture today sees the amount of left over foods on plate as part of politeness. The amount of people eat and leave uneaten foods also varies from group to group. Some people from middle Eastern and Southeast Asia countries might leave a little bit of food on their plates in order to indicate that their hunger has been satisfied (Kittler 2001).

Chinese delicacy

 Meanwhile in some African countries, cooks might be offended if food is left on the plate, indicating that the guest may have disliked the food. Similarly a clean plate might signify either satisfaction with the meal or desire for more food
In in recent times, the kind of dress or the manner in which you dressed influences the kind of food you take. That is , if an individual on an early Monday morning is dressed up for work would not eat heavy or starchy foods like ‘banku or kenkey’ because of the nature and content of the food. Wearing suits or formal dressing matches with certain kinds of foods.

Eating in groups has certain ethics to be considered. These ethics have connectedness to our culture, in the sense that not every individual are allowed to eat with certain class of people. When four or more people are eating together, they supposed to start and end in the same manner. Thus, even if one is satisfied, he or she is not expected to wash the hands but instead takes the hands out of the plate and wait for the others to finish.

the Gas are known for their Kenkey

Rural and urban migration has changed some food patterns today in certain societies. These patterns have changed consistently because of their current location. Some people have migrated from their respective regions to settle somewhere because of some developmental changes. They are now exposed to foods now in their current locality. For instance many individuals from different regions in Ghana have now moved from their regions to settle here in Accra. They now adapt and start tasting the foods present in Accra since it very common to afford. One can witness these when Asantes and Ewes in Accra start eating Kenkey in Accra.

Many parts of central Africa have remained true to their traditional foods, perhaps because until the 19^th century, there weren’t many external influences on the cuisine.
One’s favorite food gives or reveals the kind of group he or she belongs to. Many Africans today like their local food no matter how difficult the preparation process it takes or the purchasing capita. People are ignoring their traditional foods and going in for the foreign or exotic foods because of the long method in the preparation. Foods like Fufu and Palm nut soup take long in preparing.

Many people think about food as solely sustenance, a source of nutrients and energy to live. However, though food is necessary, food is not just a pure biological need. In fact, food can reveal a great deal in culture. Ultimately, by viewing food as more than just a source of nourishment and examining it and its preparation, one could learn more about a particular society and its people.

by: Solomon Afadi