Description: Analysis and commentary by Tony Karon
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A brief meditation on the meanings of South African cuisine for Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Excerpt:
South Africa’s identity is complicated, contested and unresolved. While Archbishop Tutu’s “rainbow nation” remains a noble aspiration, the current forecast is increasingly stormy. So, while it’s tempting to read South African cuisine simply as some kind of melting pot of the influences brought by those who migrated to the country, many of the country’s most notable and tasty dishes reflect histories of violent conquest, enslavement, and oppression. But even as post-apartheid South Africa remains locked in a
To the visitor, it offers not only a pleasing set of taste sensations, but also a nutritious primer of the country’s history.