How the cultural history of the Welsh cake complicates conventional understandings of the role of Wales in the British Empire. Words by Yasmin Begum. Illustration by Keira Evans.
As a brown person who’s recently moved to rural mid-Wales, this piece has provided lots of answers to some of the questions that have been tinkering at the back of my head - I actually only recently ate a Welsh cake (it’s hard to find proper ones without a crazy amount of ultra processed ingredients) and they funnily enough really reminded me of a griddle cake (gorditas de azucar) I grew up eating in Mexico! Thank you, for so pulling so much out of the humble Welsh cake.
Curious to know why the term non-white has been used a couple of times - perhaps intentional? I find it turns whiteness into the norm, and everyone else becomes a deviation.
Diolch Yasmin - very interesting and I couldn't agree more. I understand why you feel that many/most of the people of Wales are ignorant or burying their heads in the sand about difficult/troubling aspects of its past. Just because we have been subjugated it doesn't mean we haven't played our part in Britain's murky colonial activities and cruel subjugation of people of other countries. We certainly are not whiter than white and an increasing number of us realise this. Indeed there have been recent revelations about our colonialisation of Patagonia which people are starting to face up to. The work of Dr Marian Gwyn and colleagues has borne witness to Wales' role in slavery which is now pretty common knowledge. I believe your fabulous essay would be welcomed in Wales. Indeed the journal 'Folding Rock' has 'food' as a theme for a future edition. Maybe you could try that?
Diolch Yasmin - very interesting and I couldn't agree more. I understand why you feel that many/most of the people of Wales are ignorant or burying their heads in the sand about difficult/troubling aspects of its past. Just because we have been subjugated it doesn't mean we haven't played our part in Britain's murky colonial activities and cruel subjugation of people of other countries. We certainly are not whiter than white and an increasing number of us realise this. Indeed there have been recent revelations about our colonialisation of Patagonia which people are starting to face up to. The work of Dr Marian Gwyn and colleagues has borne witness to Wales' role in slavery which is now pretty common knowledge. I believe your fabulous essay would be welcomed in Wales. Indeed the journal 'Folding Rock' has 'food' as a theme for a future edition. Maybe you could try that?
Excellent writing, and so many intriguing possible sidebars worth exploring. Thank you.
This is an incredible piece of writing. Thank you very much. Deserving of a very wide audience.
As a brown person who’s recently moved to rural mid-Wales, this piece has provided lots of answers to some of the questions that have been tinkering at the back of my head - I actually only recently ate a Welsh cake (it’s hard to find proper ones without a crazy amount of ultra processed ingredients) and they funnily enough really reminded me of a griddle cake (gorditas de azucar) I grew up eating in Mexico! Thank you, for so pulling so much out of the humble Welsh cake.
Curious to know why the term non-white has been used a couple of times - perhaps intentional? I find it turns whiteness into the norm, and everyone else becomes a deviation.
Beyond beautiful, high impact writing
loved this!
Great writing and very stimulating, Yasmin - thank you
Diolch Yasmin - very interesting and I couldn't agree more. I understand why you feel that many/most of the people of Wales are ignorant or burying their heads in the sand about difficult/troubling aspects of its past. Just because we have been subjugated it doesn't mean we haven't played our part in Britain's murky colonial activities and cruel subjugation of people of other countries. We certainly are not whiter than white and an increasing number of us realise this. Indeed there have been recent revelations about our colonialisation of Patagonia which people are starting to face up to. The work of Dr Marian Gwyn and colleagues has borne witness to Wales' role in slavery which is now pretty common knowledge. I believe your fabulous essay would be welcomed in Wales. Indeed the journal 'Folding Rock' has 'food' as a theme for a future edition. Maybe you could try that?
Diolch Yasmin - very interesting and I couldn't agree more. I understand why you feel that many/most of the people of Wales are ignorant or burying their heads in the sand about difficult/troubling aspects of its past. Just because we have been subjugated it doesn't mean we haven't played our part in Britain's murky colonial activities and cruel subjugation of people of other countries. We certainly are not whiter than white and an increasing number of us realise this. Indeed there have been recent revelations about our colonialisation of Patagonia which people are starting to face up to. The work of Dr Marian Gwyn and colleagues has borne witness to Wales' role in slavery which is now pretty common knowledge. I believe your fabulous essay would be welcomed in Wales. Indeed the journal 'Folding Rock' has 'food' as a theme for a future edition. Maybe you could try that?