Effect Of Cultural Diffusion On Food: A Study On Chicken Kebabs

All the food and dishes we are able to have access to today wouldn't have been possible without the trading networks and cultural diffusion from centuries ago. Today we are able to enjoy a variety of cuisines within our reach with ingredients from all over the world. The study of food in history is important because it gives us insight into the daily lives of people back in time. Knowing about people's food supplies and how they conformed to certain circumstances can tell us a lot about society and how they came to a point. Cultures and food that isn't normally native to a place shows us that diffusion and selective borrowing has taken place. The dish I chose for this project is a South Asian dish called chicken kebabs. These kebabs are rounded and have spices and small ingredients to bring out flavor and aroma along with the taste of the chicken. Ingredients consist of chicken, kebaba masala mix, cilantro, garlic, green chili, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, lemon, and olive oil.

The ingredients we will be mainly focusing on is green chilis, garlic, and olives (olive oil). These three ingredients originated from different parts of the world and are now available for the world to enjoy. Each ingredient in this dish originated from different places. The green chilis first originated in Mexico around the date of 7500 B. C. Garlic, is native to regions from Central Asia. Finally olive trees are native to the Mediterranean, Africa and Asia. The entire dish is very well known in many south Asian cultures and places such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. Despite the dishes popularity in the south Asian region, these ingredients are not native to these areas and had to be imported. Chilis were first used in Mexico to make drinks years ago. Traces of this pepper were found in ruins of pottery from that area leading historians to conclude that they were used for other cooking purposes.

In Mesoamerica where the chili pepper was cultivated, crops like tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans and squash were the main food sources. The Aztecs during this time also used handmade bodies of islands as space for agriculture called ‘chinampas’ to grow these crops. These innovative ideas allowed them to grow many crops including the chili. Garlic is not native to the south Asian countries and were imported in. There is evidence of use during 1500 B. C in Egypt for tombs. Garlic must have been easy to cultivate because it is able to grow in many climates and it can reproduce asexually. Fossil evidence shows that olives first originated millions of years ago in Italy and the mediterranean. It was later first cultivated 7000 years ago in the mediterranean. This tree was cultivated mainly in Crete using ancient natural methods that are still used today. Cultivation starts after harvest and trees are individually trimmed with nutrients added that are recycled from other dead trees. This is the basic history of these three main ingredients in my dish.

The ingredients were spread for societies to use due to travel and trade. Chili peppers were native in the New World and through routes they were able to reach the Old World. When Christopher Columbus sailed to America by accident in 1492 he encountered chili peppers but only brought them back to Spain on the second voyage there. They were then cultivated in Spain and then spread all over Europe by Traveler Monks. Portugal was aware of the many benefits of trading these peppers would promise and they were right when Portuguese explorer Vasco-da-gama brought these chilis in 1948. Soon consistent trading on the Spice Trade started. Some other civilizations that had contact to these peppers include China and European countries. Portugal's economy increased greatly because the trade of chili peppers with South Asian countries helped them monopolize the Spice Trade as this type of pepper was an abundant and efficient substitute for black pepper. On the other hand, Chinese society began using spices in everyday culinary practices. This is how the chili pepper reached India and changed societies where this ingredient was introduced.

The use of ingredients changed and adapted as different societies gained access to them. Almost all societies used chilis for culinary and preservative purposes however alongside of that Europe used it in a more unique way. One example is in Europe when spices were heavily used as perfume to mask odor due to the lack of hygiene to which the Black Death spread. Another example of this change in use can be seen with garlic. The first uses of garlic started in ancient egypt for use in tombs for pharaohs and also as a strength booster for Slaves. There were similar uses for strength and endurance in Greek and Roman societies as well but the Asian societies took this herb to the next step. For example, Chinese medicine incorporated garlic to ease respiration and digestion. Furthermore Indian societies held evidence of using garlic for heart diseases and arthritis from their early written records. The chicken kebab dish is a south Asian dish and there are some connections found between the culture and this food. South Asian culture includes being very hospitable towards guests and feeding guests many dishes to which kebabs are a huge part of. Kebabs in India are eaten as a side to a main course meal such as rice and curry. There are no religious connections to the dish, it's more of a cultural norm as it is rude to send guests off without feeding them dishes. This is how the use of ingredients changed in societies and the cultural connections to my dish.

A family member was specifically interviewed for their personal experience with this south Asian dish. This recipe specifically impacted our family with the memories of eating these with other relatives and friends for little parties. Eating food from a shared culture brings immense joy. The recipe was adapted with trial and error of adding different ingredients until we came up with the perfect recipe with added lemon garnish. This gave the dish a very faint sour taste that draws in taste buds to keep eating. Ever since my mother was young she remembered making and eating kebabs like these and sharing these cultural foods with other relatives. Passing on the tradition helped me personally learn to love the norm of having guests over and making delicious food. I have learned throughout my life how important it is to keep family relationships tied together.

Therefore today's cultural connections to certain dishes are still intact. Therefore today's world consists of food and ingredients that would not have been made available without trade and cultural diffusion. We are able to implement foods and ingredients from other cultures and use them as our own. The study of food is very important because it shows us a major part of ancient history and how everything we have access to today come into place. My cultures dish the chicken kebab would not have been made possible without the many ingredients from all over the world. The many trade routes such as spice road, Columbian exchange and more were the basis of it all. I learned that the same ingredient can be used in so many varieties of ways in different societies because of certain historical events happening, time periods, and cultures. All in all cultural diffusion caused out world to be integrally connected throughout history.