In a world that increasingly seems to strive for uniformity, afro-descendant Creole people on the eastern coast of Nicaragua seek to hold on to their unique culture through their food. Incoming palm plantations are fragmenting traditional Creole farmland and making it difficult for local coconut oil businesses. Overfishing and pesticides from the palm fields are reducing stocks of fish in the lagoons, making it more difficult to access traditional protein sources. In the towns and cities along the coast, an influx of foreign products is setting a new standard for how you should look, talk and eat.
Rondon is one of the most celebrated traditional Creole dishes. Similar to a curry, it has a base of coconut milk in which you cook cassava, dasheen, breadfruit, baby corn and fried fish with fresh herbs and spices. It’s a dish with strong connections to Africa. For a people descended from freed blacks, escaped slaves and indigenous Americans, holding on to Rondon is holding on to heritage.
Featuring:
Miss Connie Tinoko, Kenneth Fox, Edward Fox, John Watson, Miss Gay Sterling and her family
Credits:
Host: Marie Choi
Contributing Producer: Maria Doerr
Producers: Anita Johnson, Marie Choi, Monica Lopez, R.J. Lozada
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Web Editor: Kwan Booth
Organizations and Support: Bluefields Sound System, Mikel Britton, Stanford Storytelling Project, Jake Warga, Claire Schoen, Bruce Braden
Featured Music:
Take Dis Five, Run-Down Orchestra Bluefield Sound System 2009
Zion-O, Run-Down Orchestra, Bluefield Sound System 2009
Photo Credits: Maria Doerr