Alia Amir, a Research Associate at SOAS University of London and an Associate Professor in English Linguistics at Halmstad University. For her recent talk at the SOAS South Asia institute (SSAI) entitled ‘Perceptions on the wider representation of Pakistani and Kashmiri culinary landscapes: An exploration of language, identity, and visual images’, she used the findings of a study in which she compared the South Asian restaurants in Stockholm and London.
Here, Dr Amir discusses the evolving culinary practices and how the diaspora adapts it all.
What are the changes that Pakistani and Kashmiri cuisine has seen in the past few decades? Has the transformation led to the loss of the original taste and flavours?
Food and language practices are socio-cultural practices with a history in a specific country. Culinary practices bind together to create an identity in the diaspora as you see in the names of restaurants. All languages are dynamic and ever-changing, ever-evolving - the same is true for culinary practices. Pakistani and Kashmiri cuisine has developed in many places including in Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, and in many of its diasporas.
The exchanges between the various diaspora in Europe, North America, the Middle East and various socio-linguistic communities in Pakistan have inextricably blended and changed the palate on one hand, while retaining the authentic homestyle traditional recipes at the same time. For example, the advent of cheese in Pakistan in recent decades has led to a change in its palate when it comes to cheese-based dishes like cheese naan. Similarly, while chocolate might not have traditionally been used in Pakistani and Kashmiri dishes, fusion food and creativity have led to many innovative dishes, for example, Nutella naan. Similarly, with the advent of cooking shows, cable TV channels, internet, technology, MasterChef competitions and social media outlets, there seems to be a wider acceptance for experimenting and creating new recipes. Even prior to the internet, we have, for example, seen that when new communities settle in new countries, commercially created food is created to attract both its community members and to adjust to the tastes of the host country. In this regard, who can even forget the made-in-Britain dish - Chicken Tikka Masala - which you can now find in desi restaurants all across Europe and beyond. Mango lassi is another example that has been popularised in the United Kingdom, whereas in Pakistan, you would not have found it until recently.
To answer your question, traditional home-style cooking changes slowly but commercial restaurants bring about different kinds of changes. There are some Pakistani dishes/ recipes which people want to eat in a traditional way, like shorbas, pulao, and biryani - but at the same time, some of the traditional dishes are being made with new ingredients as the communities settle in newer parts of the globe.
Having lived in different places with different cultures and languages, how did you adapt? What is your opinion on the cultural and linguistic transformation that the diaspora goes through when they move to foreign countries?
Growing up, I was exposed to several languages inside and outside of my home/s. In any one communicative setting, there were several languages used with interlocutors who might be using other languages. So, my brain was socialised into accepting mixing of languages and use of parallel languages. With triple migrations in three generations of my family, we have very much been able to retain many aspects of our culture, but have been adjusting and assimilating to foreign countries.
As for diaspora, depending on if there is contact with the country of origin and ancestors, and how much linguistic and cultural aspects are maintained at home, it is easy to transfer from one generation, but as the next generation grows up, some aspects of culture are bound to be lost, and some aspects of the new country be adapted into their own new traditions.
How has the South Asian diaspora in the UK adapted and transformed traditional cuisines over the years?
Cuisines evolve and change, but at a slow pace. As for the South Asian diaspora in the UK, it came from many different regions and parts of South Asia bringing with them their unique culinary traditions. While commercially sold food changes and evolves due to various factors, home-cooked food differs in many respects from what is commercially sold in restaurants. South Asian diaspora is not a homogeneous group - it is varied in its culinary traditions, and thus, this group within itself has had the opportunities to learn from people of different South Asian regions as well as global cuisines available in the UK and now through the internet.
