Romani Gypsy and Traveler Culture
History and Genealogy in America
Dr Raven Dolick M.s.D
.
Romani Chivano
all rights reserved
Are you a Gypsy, TRUE GYPSY! Traveler or Roader, or have some ancestry in any one of such groups?
This write is dedicated to you; to help you become more aware of your own rich heritage, to help preserve your traditions, language and knowledge of where you came from and who you are.
The identities of Traveling People are everywhere threatened by the flood of misinformation that is being disseminated on the web and through the popular media about us and our traditional values and bond. This write of mine pledges to correct such misinformation and to present an accurate and unbiased view of traveling life as it has unfolded since the your ancestors first set foot in the New World.
Preservation of our ethnic heritage and pride in our own ethnic identity are some of the most valuable assets that any parents can leave to their children and grandchildren. To be of Gypsy or Traveler background is something special, something to be treasured along with the language, customs, and cultural values embodied in a unique way of life.
Preservation of our ethnic heritage and pride in our own ethnic identity are some of the most valuable assets that any parents can leave to their children and grandchildren. To be of Gypsy or Traveler background is something special, something to be treasured along with the language, customs, and cultural values embodied in a unique way of life.
Please do not patronize those adulterating our sacred ways claiming to be Gypsy.
We are an ethnic bloodline with our own secretive traditions and language taught ONLY to those who work and sweat with us hand in hand.
If you want to learn more about your family and your ethnic group, whether you be of Cale, Hungarian-Slovak, Ludar, Rom, Romanichal or Sinti Gypsy or American (Roader), English, German, Irish or Scotch Traveler background I will provide you with an interactive forum for asking questions, finding lost relatives, guidance to accurate sources, exchanging information as well as just keeping in touch with your own kind.
We are an ethnic bloodline with our own secretive traditions and language taught ONLY to those who work and sweat with us hand in hand.
If you want to learn more about your family and your ethnic group, whether you be of Cale, Hungarian-Slovak, Ludar, Rom, Romanichal or Sinti Gypsy or American (Roader), English, German, Irish or Scotch Traveler background I will provide you with an interactive forum for asking questions, finding lost relatives, guidance to accurate sources, exchanging information as well as just keeping in touch with your own kind.
To get started just read for now and let spirit open you to answers of questions. Then in your journey ask specifying what kind of Gypsy you are and in which family background you are interested.
The foundation on which our life is built is a rich storehouse of data of every imaginable kind: documentary sources, oral histories and observations of traveling life collected in over 35 cultures and unpaid research by the many falsifiers claiming to be GYPSY. Traditionalist today have dedicated their lives to providing a true history of traveling life in America and to dispelling the myths that are currently being spread on the web and other media.
This endeavor is based on the premise that every kind of Gypsy and Traveler has a right to his or her own identity, whatever it might be. Each of you has a unique heritage that your ancestors nurtured over centuries of hardship and persecution.
Now those rich and unique identities are in danger of being lost as more and more people lose the sense of who they are; customs, language and traditional life patterns are not being passed on; some people are even becoming ashamed of their Gypsy or Traveler identities. And even worse many Gagekan are adulterating our secretive ways in total ignorance of their own stupidity.
This endeavor is based on the premise that every kind of Gypsy and Traveler has a right to his or her own identity, whatever it might be. Each of you has a unique heritage that your ancestors nurtured over centuries of hardship and persecution.
Now those rich and unique identities are in danger of being lost as more and more people lose the sense of who they are; customs, language and traditional life patterns are not being passed on; some people are even becoming ashamed of their Gypsy or Traveler identities. And even worse many Gagekan are adulterating our secretive ways in total ignorance of their own stupidity.
You will not be fed speculations about Melungeons, hordes of Gypsies in Colonial America, or Gypsies and Travelers as hapless victims or criminal castes - instead all my information to any of us will be based on actual verified data that truly represents the experience of our people in America since our ancestors first arrived here.
Culture and language are not easily lost and, unless you are among those few unfortunate individuals whose parents or grandparents misguidedly tried to separate themselves and their families from their roots, you should easily be able to pick up traits of language and culture that indicate your origins.
I now will begin with a brief overview of the different groups to orient those among you who are not quite sure of where they belong.
Culture and language are not easily lost and, unless you are among those few unfortunate individuals whose parents or grandparents misguidedly tried to separate themselves and their families from their roots, you should easily be able to pick up traits of language and culture that indicate your origins.
I now will begin with a brief overview of the different groups to orient those among you who are not quite sure of where they belong.
Gypsy and Traveler Groups in the United States
Cale: Spanish Gypsies, or Gitanos, are found primarily in the metropolitan centers of the East and West coasts. A small community of only a few families.
Cale: Spanish Gypsies, or Gitanos, are found primarily in the metropolitan centers of the East and West coasts. A small community of only a few families.
English Travelers: Fairly amorphous group, possibly formed along same lines as Roaders (see below), but taking shape already in England before their emigration to the US starting in early 1880s. Associate mainly with Romanichels. Boundaries and numbers uncertain.
Hungarian-Slovak: Mainly sedentary Gypsies found primarily in the industrial cities of northern U.S. Number in few thousands. Noted for playing "Gypsy music" in cafes, nightclubs and restaurants.
Irish Travelers: Peripatetic group that is ethnically Irish and does not identify itself as "Gypsy," although sometimes called "Irish Gypsies." Widely scattered, but somewhat concentrated in the southern states. Estimates vary but about 10,000 should be close to the actual numbers.
Ludar: Gypsies from the Banat area, also called Rumanian Gypsies. Arrived after 1880. Have about the same number of families as the Rom, but actual numbers are unknown.
Roaders or Roadies: Native born Americans who have led a traveling life similar to that of the Gypsies and Travelers, but who were not originally descended from those groups. Numbers unknown as not all families studied.
Rom: Gypsies of East European origin before coming to America who arrived after 1880. Mostly urban but Lycan Society and Bob Cat societies reside in Ohio and New Mexico still under traditional umbrella and wanderers, they are scattered across the entire country. One of the larger groups in the US, possibly in the 55-60,000 range. Counting assimilated Rom's our USA population is estimated 1.3 million.
Romanichels: English Gypsies who arrived beginning in 1850. Scattered across the entire country, but tend to be somewhat more rural than the other Gypsy groups. Many families are now on their way to being assimilated, hence estimation of numbers depends on criteria used.
Scottish Travelers: Ethnically Scottish, but separated for centuries from mainstream society in Scotland where they were known as Tinkers. Some came to Canada after 1850 and to the United States in appreciable numbers after 1880. Over 100 distinct clans have been identified but total numbers not known.
Sinti: Little studied early group of German Gypsies in the United States consisting of few families heavily assimilated with both non-Gypsy and Romnichel populations. No figures are available.
Sinti: Little studied early group of German Gypsies in the United States consisting of few families heavily assimilated with both non-Gypsy and Romnichel populations. No figures are available.
Yenisch: Mostly assimilated group of ethnic Germans, misidentified as Gypsies, who formed an occupational caste of basket makers and founded an entire community in Pennsylvania after their immigration starting 1840. Because of assimilation current numbers are impossible to determine.
This inventory leaves out several Gypsy groups that have immigrated since 1970 due to the unrest and renewed persecution in Eastern Europe after the collapse of Communism. They have come from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, "Romania" as I from my fathers immigration after the Hitler cleansing, the former Yugoslavia area, and possibly other countries. They number in few thousands by now, but their numbers are likely to increase.
5 Intriguing Facts About My Romani People
Our names are as mysterious as our origins and we do not share a lot with outsiders because "outsiders" are the main persecutors and also the ones who want to speak our ways without even knowing them:
Often called the Roma or the Romani people, we're also known as gitanos in Spain, Kale in Finland and Portugal, Manush or gitan in France and Travelers in Scandinavia.
Often called the Roma or the Romani people, we're also known as gitanos in Spain, Kale in Finland and Portugal, Manush or gitan in France and Travelers in Scandinavia.
And almost everywhere we go, we're referred to — somewhat pejoratively — as gypsies, a people who have migrated throughout the world over the course of several centuries.
We Roma have one of the most dramatic stories in human history, but few people know our ancient tale of travel, persecution and survival.
We Roma have one of the most dramatic stories in human history, but few people know our ancient tale of travel, persecution and survival.
Here are five intriguing facts about me and my Romani people:
1. The Roma originated in India
There's a wealth of evidence — from genetics as well as linguistics — that the Roma are originally a Hindi people from northern India. Many of the words and grammatical rules of the Romani language are virtually identical to those of the Hindi language.
A 2012 study, published in the journal Cell Biology, analyzed genomic data from 13 Romani communities across Europe. The researchers concluded that the Roma people left northern India about 1,500 years ago; those Roma and including my Father who were born Europe migrated through the Balkans starting about 900 years ago. These data confirm written reports of Roma groups arriving in medieval Europe in the 1100s.
1. The Roma originated in India
There's a wealth of evidence — from genetics as well as linguistics — that the Roma are originally a Hindi people from northern India. Many of the words and grammatical rules of the Romani language are virtually identical to those of the Hindi language.
A 2012 study, published in the journal Cell Biology, analyzed genomic data from 13 Romani communities across Europe. The researchers concluded that the Roma people left northern India about 1,500 years ago; those Roma and including my Father who were born Europe migrated through the Balkans starting about 900 years ago. These data confirm written reports of Roma groups arriving in medieval Europe in the 1100s.
2. There are about 12 million Roma worldwide
After leaving northern India, most Romani went to Europe: In some Eastern European countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, they form up to 12 percent of the total population. The Roma are also numerous in Turkey, which has about 2.75 million Romani, according to The New York Times: Other European countries with large Roma populations include Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Spain and France.
Though concentrated in Europe, there are also Romani populations on every occupied continent — about 1.3 million of us live in the United States, and roughly 800,000 in Brazil. But no matter where we go, the Roma seem to be unwelcomed. Even though in USA many use our mis titled Gypsy name as a term and not a representation of our ethnic lifestyle.
After leaving northern India, most Romani went to Europe: In some Eastern European countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, they form up to 12 percent of the total population. The Roma are also numerous in Turkey, which has about 2.75 million Romani, according to The New York Times: Other European countries with large Roma populations include Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Spain and France.
Though concentrated in Europe, there are also Romani populations on every occupied continent — about 1.3 million of us live in the United States, and roughly 800,000 in Brazil. But no matter where we go, the Roma seem to be unwelcomed. Even though in USA many use our mis titled Gypsy name as a term and not a representation of our ethnic lifestyle.
3. The Romani faced horrific persecution
Shortly after arriving in Europe, the Romani were enslaved in many regions, a cultural heritage that continued into the 19th century in countries like Romania. In England, Switzerland and Denmark, the Romani were put to death throughout the medieval era. Many countries, even recently, such as Germany, Italy and Portugal, ordered the expulsion of all Romani.
There are countless reports of Roma children being abducted from their parents, women who had their ears cut off, and Romani who were branded with hot irons. In an effort to force assimilation, the use of their native language was forbidden in some countries; other places forbade the Roma to marry among themselves.
Perhaps the most devastating persecution of the Romani occurred during World War II, when they were among the first targets of Nazi atrocities, yes NOT the Israelis as world history left us out of the quotation here too, according to the BBC. An estimated 2 million Romani died in concentration camps and through other means of extermination.
In the post-war era, the Romani remained an oppressed group, especially in the Soviet Union. As recently as the 1980s, Roma women in Czechoslovakia were forced to undergo sterilization to limit the Romani population.
Shortly after arriving in Europe, the Romani were enslaved in many regions, a cultural heritage that continued into the 19th century in countries like Romania. In England, Switzerland and Denmark, the Romani were put to death throughout the medieval era. Many countries, even recently, such as Germany, Italy and Portugal, ordered the expulsion of all Romani.
There are countless reports of Roma children being abducted from their parents, women who had their ears cut off, and Romani who were branded with hot irons. In an effort to force assimilation, the use of their native language was forbidden in some countries; other places forbade the Roma to marry among themselves.
Perhaps the most devastating persecution of the Romani occurred during World War II, when they were among the first targets of Nazi atrocities, yes NOT the Israelis as world history left us out of the quotation here too, according to the BBC. An estimated 2 million Romani died in concentration camps and through other means of extermination.
In the post-war era, the Romani remained an oppressed group, especially in the Soviet Union. As recently as the 1980s, Roma women in Czechoslovakia were forced to undergo sterilization to limit the Romani population.
4. Roma culture is a rich and fascinating collage
The Romani are often celebrated for their musical heritage as so with my Familia of circus performers and musicians today, which has influenced jazz, bolero, flamenco music, as well as classical composers including Franz Liszt.
While it's believed that the Roma were originally Hindu, over the centuries, most Romani in my Chillicothie Familia have adopted the religions of their host countries. The majority of Roma communities now practice a form of Islam or Christianity that retains some Romani influences.
Traditional Roma society still arranges marriages between minors as young as 12. Teenage brides are sometimes bartered and traded between Roma communities, an activity that has alarmed European officials concerned with human trafficking out of ignorance and lack of true definitions.
A 2006 report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also found that some Roma communities practice child trafficking; children have reportedly been engaged for labor, petty crime and sexual exploitation. But also in every other race on earth this is a problem The Rom's suffer the hardest hit because of bias and prejudice.
The Romani are often celebrated for their musical heritage as so with my Familia of circus performers and musicians today, which has influenced jazz, bolero, flamenco music, as well as classical composers including Franz Liszt.
While it's believed that the Roma were originally Hindu, over the centuries, most Romani in my Chillicothie Familia have adopted the religions of their host countries. The majority of Roma communities now practice a form of Islam or Christianity that retains some Romani influences.
Traditional Roma society still arranges marriages between minors as young as 12. Teenage brides are sometimes bartered and traded between Roma communities, an activity that has alarmed European officials concerned with human trafficking out of ignorance and lack of true definitions.
A 2006 report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also found that some Roma communities practice child trafficking; children have reportedly been engaged for labor, petty crime and sexual exploitation. But also in every other race on earth this is a problem The Rom's suffer the hardest hit because of bias and prejudice.
5. My Romany's remain an oppressed group
Many Romani avoid assimilation with the larger societies of their host countries — this mainly though is based on a legacy of centuries of persecution. Because of their isolation, many Roma children do not attend school; Romani typically lack access to stable jobs, affordable housing, healthcare and other social services. Forcing us to remain in our own subculture while being a second rated citizen in other countries worldwide. As a result, poverty, disease, substance abuse and crime plague many Roma communities.
Many Romani avoid assimilation with the larger societies of their host countries — this mainly though is based on a legacy of centuries of persecution. Because of their isolation, many Roma children do not attend school; Romani typically lack access to stable jobs, affordable housing, healthcare and other social services. Forcing us to remain in our own subculture while being a second rated citizen in other countries worldwide. As a result, poverty, disease, substance abuse and crime plague many Roma communities.
For these and other reasons, we Romani remain a persecuted minority, including those living in affluent European countries and the USA with enviable social services. Authorities in Italy have denied housing to Roma families — even those born in Italy — on the grounds that people living in cheap, makeshift metal containers in isolated Roma camps already have permanent housing, according to the Guardian.
This month, protests erupted in France after authorities detained a Roma teenage girl at school; soon thereafter, she and her entire family were deported to Kosovo. In the past year, about 10,000 Roma were expelled from France after their camps were destroyed, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The European Union has threatened to take legal action against France for these recent expulsions, and the plight of the Roma community — who are frequently the targets of violence by neo-Nazi and other racist groups — has attracted the attention of human rights groups.
"This community crosses time and space with its traditions, and we in Europe have trouble to integrate them," Alain Behr, a lawyer who has defended the Roma, told The New York Times. "Yet they have preserved their tradition, which is one of survival."
"This community crosses time and space with its traditions, and we in Europe have trouble to integrate them," Alain Behr, a lawyer who has defended the Roma, told The New York Times. "Yet they have preserved their tradition, which is one of survival."
An Interesting Roma Story About Our Real Gypsy Ways
Roma Women and Drabarimós
Roma Women and Drabarimós
Why do Roma women go around for Drabarimós?
One day, O Del warned all Roma to leave their country as He was going to punish the king of the Gadje and his people. Roma elders were worried, because they had nothing for the journey. Then, O Del said: You will get whatever you need for the journey if you send your wives to ask from the Gadje women jewels and clothes, and they will give them also food, because I will daze their minds and they will not deny your wives to give them whatever they ask. So you will take from them what you need to afford your wandering around the world. This is a commandment that we have kept since old, as we have still not finished our journey....
One day, O Del warned all Roma to leave their country as He was going to punish the king of the Gadje and his people. Roma elders were worried, because they had nothing for the journey. Then, O Del said: You will get whatever you need for the journey if you send your wives to ask from the Gadje women jewels and clothes, and they will give them also food, because I will daze their minds and they will not deny your wives to give them whatever they ask. So you will take from them what you need to afford your wandering around the world. This is a commandment that we have kept since old, as we have still not finished our journey....
Terms:
Drabarimós is the custom of going around for fortune-telling with the aim of getting some compensation in money or items.
Gadje means "non-Roma".
Del is our way of saying God which many ignorant in the dark ages thought we were actually praying to the devil because of its likeness in phonetic to it.
This story has no parallel in any tradition and not any possible source except the Scriptures: Exodus 3:21-22 and 12:35-36, in which Mosheh gave these instructions to the Hebrews under God's command. This event of the Bible is hardly heard in any Christian church, and such a detailed explanation cannot be the result of hearsay within a Christian environment.
There are many tales like these among Roma all over the world. On the contrary, there is not any oral tradition that may be traced back to any event, real or mythical, of Indian peoples.
Drabarimós is the custom of going around for fortune-telling with the aim of getting some compensation in money or items.
Gadje means "non-Roma".
Del is our way of saying God which many ignorant in the dark ages thought we were actually praying to the devil because of its likeness in phonetic to it.
This story has no parallel in any tradition and not any possible source except the Scriptures: Exodus 3:21-22 and 12:35-36, in which Mosheh gave these instructions to the Hebrews under God's command. This event of the Bible is hardly heard in any Christian church, and such a detailed explanation cannot be the result of hearsay within a Christian environment.
There are many tales like these among Roma all over the world. On the contrary, there is not any oral tradition that may be traced back to any event, real or mythical, of Indian peoples.
GYPSY CUISINE
Gypsy cuisine has been called “the little known soul food” and is one of my favorite ways to celebrate my mixed-Gypsy heritage and Romani and Traveller history month. Gypsies have a rich and complicated identity and history, which is reflected in the delicious complexity of the food, and, like most things, it’s a lot better when you understand it. First, the word “Gypsy” is the term that gadjé (Rromanes for non-Romani people) have used to refer to Roma, the ethnic group originating in India around the eleventh century. Overtime, Gypsy has also been used as a racial slur, especially in the lowercase “gypsy,” and antigypsyist language is normalized in so many languages that it’s become idiomatic (e.g., “That shopkeeper gypped me!”). Between this and trendy Gypsy appropriation, some Roma reject the word altogether, while others, like Filip Borev prefer it as long as it’s used correctly and respectfully, and some, like myself, choose to reclaim Gypsy as an act of linguistic and identity empowerment. In short, if you aren’t Romani, it’s safer and use Roma and Romani instead of Gypsy (and definitely don’t say “gyp”), or ask just the Romani person you’re speaking with what s/he prefers. If you are Romani, you’re free to reclaim or shun the word Gypsy as you see fit. Travellers, also known as “Tinkers,” are not ethnically related to Roma. They are of Irish origin and have their own culture and language, but they are also traditionally nomadic and historically and presently suffer the same stigma and oppression that Roma suffer. Common racial slurs used against Travellers are “Gypsy,” “Pikey,” and “Knacker,” so those are more words to avoid.
Gypsy cuisine has been called “the little known soul food” and is one of my favorite ways to celebrate my mixed-Gypsy heritage and Romani and Traveller history month. Gypsies have a rich and complicated identity and history, which is reflected in the delicious complexity of the food, and, like most things, it’s a lot better when you understand it. First, the word “Gypsy” is the term that gadjé (Rromanes for non-Romani people) have used to refer to Roma, the ethnic group originating in India around the eleventh century. Overtime, Gypsy has also been used as a racial slur, especially in the lowercase “gypsy,” and antigypsyist language is normalized in so many languages that it’s become idiomatic (e.g., “That shopkeeper gypped me!”). Between this and trendy Gypsy appropriation, some Roma reject the word altogether, while others, like Filip Borev prefer it as long as it’s used correctly and respectfully, and some, like myself, choose to reclaim Gypsy as an act of linguistic and identity empowerment. In short, if you aren’t Romani, it’s safer and use Roma and Romani instead of Gypsy (and definitely don’t say “gyp”), or ask just the Romani person you’re speaking with what s/he prefers. If you are Romani, you’re free to reclaim or shun the word Gypsy as you see fit. Travellers, also known as “Tinkers,” are not ethnically related to Roma. They are of Irish origin and have their own culture and language, but they are also traditionally nomadic and historically and presently suffer the same stigma and oppression that Roma suffer. Common racial slurs used against Travellers are “Gypsy,” “Pikey,” and “Knacker,” so those are more words to avoid.
FOOD HISTORY
While Roma have maintained a distinct and unique culture with many cultural differences among the different clans (such as the Sinti, Lovara, Manouche, etc.), much of Romani culture, including cuisine, has been shaped by oppression and the regions that Roma live in and travel through. In his book, We are the Romani people, linguistics and Romani studies professor Dr. Ian Hancock explains that, “like Roma music, there is no single type of Romani cookery, but a range of cuisines that differ from place to place, depending upon locally available ingredients and the social circumstances of the community.” The vast regional differences are a product of nomadism, a practice born out of persecution (not whimsy), which began when the Roma first left India and were met by hostile and xenophobic Europeans.
My Sinti Romani grandmother grew up in Germany, so her cooking has a heavy German influence. Before her family settled, they regularly traveled on the Danube from Germany to Hungary and back again, and their cooking reflected their travels. “Social circumstances” refers to the centuries of brutal antigypsyism, including hate crimes, forced sterilization, slavery, racial profiling, apartheid, ghettoization, etc., that still persist today. Despite the current Romani human rights crisis, some Roma have assimilated into gadjé society and the workforce (usually by having the opportunity to keep their ethnicity a secret) and so have more freedom, including culinary freedom. However, there are many Romani populations all over the world who are denied basic human rights.
As you can imagine, if you are not allowed in shops and are pushed into ghettos with no running water, electricity, or sanitation, then your life, not to mention your culinary creativity, would be severely curtailed. My grandmother was born into WWII and Roma were among the groups targeted by the Nazis. During her childhood, she ate whatever she could find with little concern for culture while avoiding the concentration camps in which half of Europe’s Romani population was murdered. Although an estimated two million Roma (probably more) lost their lives in the Holocaust, what we call O Porrajmos, the Romani genocide is still barely acknowledged and no reparations have been made.
The Best Romani Markets Around the World
Despite the many clans and subcultures, all with their own customs and dialects of Rromanes, Romani food culture as a whole shares a love of pepper, a love of bread, and strict rituals for cleanliness and table etiquette. In We are the Romani people, Ian Hancock explains these rituals and observances in more detail, and most of them revolve around the Romani belief that the world is divided into that which is pure and impure. All Roma avoid eating animals that are “impure,” such as animals that clean their backsides with their tongues (so, no eating Fifi or Spot!). Roma also shun eating horsemeat because horses are so highly valued and respected. And, in the Indian tradition, Roma further divide food into two categories: “ordinary” and “auspicious” or “lucky” (baxtalo). Auspicious foods are believed to be particularly healthy for the body and soul, and these beliefs are likely rooted in Ayurveda, the traditional Hindu system of medicine that uses food, herbs, and yogic breathing to balance the body. Hancock’s list of Baxtale xajmata or “auspicious foods” includes food that is “pungent or strongly flavored like garlic, lemon, pickles, peppers, sour cream, and so on.” Most of all, Romani food culture is all about finding thrifty, resourceful, and delicious ways to nourish and purify the body.
This is in part why Romani cuisine has been called “the little-known soul food,” and it’s slowly becoming more popular with Romani restaurants cropping up, like Romani Kafenava in Slovenia, recently featured on NPR. Although Romani Kafenava was at first protested by residents who didn’t want a Gypsy restaurant in town, the business is doing well. This is why it’s so important for Roma to share the culture. The hope is that the more that people learn about and fall in love with Romani culture, the easier it will be for outsiders to let go of prejudice, “Gypsy” stereotypes, and false beliefs. Besides, the best way to country’s heart is through its stomach. And while “Gypsy” stereotypes have been perpetuated by stories, films, media (mis)representations, and rabid politicians, historically, the Roma have been secretive (for good reason) about Romanipen (the Romani way). That penchant for secrecy made looking up Romani recipes a challenging and amusing task: 90 percent of the recipes I found have no measurements or real instructions because they are “family recipes.” (i.e., IT’S A SECRET. STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.) “There’s flour, water, oil, and salt if you want. Cook it till it’s done. End of recipe.” (Probably most Roma grandmothers don’t need measurements because they cook by their hearts, but still.) Measurements or no, the more that Roma are speaking out, writing about their experiences, demanding human rights, running for political office, recording Romani & Traveller history, the more we preserve and understand a threatened culture and language.
Despite the many clans and subcultures, all with their own customs and dialects of Rromanes, Romani food culture as a whole shares a love of pepper, a love of bread, and strict rituals for cleanliness and table etiquette. In We are the Romani people, Ian Hancock explains these rituals and observances in more detail, and most of them revolve around the Romani belief that the world is divided into that which is pure and impure. All Roma avoid eating animals that are “impure,” such as animals that clean their backsides with their tongues (so, no eating Fifi or Spot!). Roma also shun eating horsemeat because horses are so highly valued and respected. And, in the Indian tradition, Roma further divide food into two categories: “ordinary” and “auspicious” or “lucky” (baxtalo). Auspicious foods are believed to be particularly healthy for the body and soul, and these beliefs are likely rooted in Ayurveda, the traditional Hindu system of medicine that uses food, herbs, and yogic breathing to balance the body. Hancock’s list of Baxtale xajmata or “auspicious foods” includes food that is “pungent or strongly flavored like garlic, lemon, pickles, peppers, sour cream, and so on.” Most of all, Romani food culture is all about finding thrifty, resourceful, and delicious ways to nourish and purify the body.
This is in part why Romani cuisine has been called “the little-known soul food,” and it’s slowly becoming more popular with Romani restaurants cropping up, like Romani Kafenava in Slovenia, recently featured on NPR. Although Romani Kafenava was at first protested by residents who didn’t want a Gypsy restaurant in town, the business is doing well. This is why it’s so important for Roma to share the culture. The hope is that the more that people learn about and fall in love with Romani culture, the easier it will be for outsiders to let go of prejudice, “Gypsy” stereotypes, and false beliefs. Besides, the best way to country’s heart is through its stomach. And while “Gypsy” stereotypes have been perpetuated by stories, films, media (mis)representations, and rabid politicians, historically, the Roma have been secretive (for good reason) about Romanipen (the Romani way). That penchant for secrecy made looking up Romani recipes a challenging and amusing task: 90 percent of the recipes I found have no measurements or real instructions because they are “family recipes.” (i.e., IT’S A SECRET. STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.) “There’s flour, water, oil, and salt if you want. Cook it till it’s done. End of recipe.” (Probably most Roma grandmothers don’t need measurements because they cook by their hearts, but still.) Measurements or no, the more that Roma are speaking out, writing about their experiences, demanding human rights, running for political office, recording Romani & Traveller history, the more we preserve and understand a threatened culture and language.
Romani and Traveller culture is nothing like a big fat wedding, a reality TV show, a fairy tale, or a Fascist’s nightmare. It’s not even reducible to poverty and oppression. Roma are rising above oppression, educating the public about the culture and the human rights crisis, and contributing to society as doctors, artists, writers, lawyers, activists, chefs, and more, and allies to the Romani community are doing their part, too. Opre Roma! (Roma, rise up!) This is the spirit in which I share these recipes with you. I warmly invite you to celebrate Roma and Traveller History month by playing some Django Reinhardt and Esma Redzepova, cooking up these dishes, and enjoying them with friends and family. Te xas sastimasa! May you eat in health!
Europe is home to 10–12 million Roma and Travellers, yet many Europeans are unable to answer the basic question, “Who are the Roma?” Even fewer can answer questions about their history.
It is a complex and highly contested narrative, partly because the “Roma” are not a single, homogeneous group of people. They can include Romanichals in England; Kalé in Wales and Finland; Travellers in Ireland (who are not Roma), Scotland, Sweden, and Norway; Manouche from France; Gitano from Spain; Sinti from Germany, Poland, Austria, and Italy; Ashakli from Kosovo; Egyptians from Albania; Beyash from Croatia; Romanlar from Turkey; Domari from Palestine and Egypt; Lom from Armenia, and many others. It is also partly because many of these groups have differing narratives of their history and ethnogenesis(their origins as an ethnic group).
It is a complex and highly contested narrative, partly because the “Roma” are not a single, homogeneous group of people. They can include Romanichals in England; Kalé in Wales and Finland; Travellers in Ireland (who are not Roma), Scotland, Sweden, and Norway; Manouche from France; Gitano from Spain; Sinti from Germany, Poland, Austria, and Italy; Ashakli from Kosovo; Egyptians from Albania; Beyash from Croatia; Romanlar from Turkey; Domari from Palestine and Egypt; Lom from Armenia, and many others. It is also partly because many of these groups have differing narratives of their history and ethnogenesis(their origins as an ethnic group).
The Roma do not follow a single faith, but are Catholic Manouche, Mercheros, and Sinti; Muslim Ashkali and Romanlar; Pentecostal Kalderash and Lovari; Protestant Travellers; Anglican Gypsies; and Baptist Roma. There are variations in practises associated with birth, marriages and death, yet also linked cultures that display subtle but distinctive patterns or, as a Roma preacher once described it, “many stars scattered in the sight of God.”
Yet there is much that is shared between different groups of Roma. Roma have a common lexicon in differing dialects of Rromanës, the Romani language. There are common notions around cleanliness codes and behaviors regarding what is Rromano (to behave with dignity and respect as a Roma person) and what can be seen as part of Rromanipé or the “Romani world view.”
Roma groups often have similar occupations, drawing upon
traditions of peripatetic and mobile economies that exploit niche markets, such as peddling and trading certain livestock (horses, dogs, and small birds). Roma artisans have also made livings from repairing items deemed “uneconomic” to mend, such as pocket watches, tea-pots, and porcelain dishes—the originators of what is now described as the circular economy. Many Roma, Gypsies, and Travellers are engaged in recycling and have been for centuries, long before major environmental concerns. We were also healers and herbalists for the “country people.”
Mobility has, for many Roma, been part and parcel of identity. It’s “not all wagons and horses,” though, and Roma have been engaged with agriculture (as they still are in many places), artisan skills and automobiles trading, road repairs and roofing. Metal work of all kinds has always been part of the Roma economy, as has craft production (baskets and bamboo furniture, knives’ handles, carved and decorated wagons, fairground signs). Many groups’ names actually stem from occupations—the Balkan Sepetçiler are basket-makers (from the Turkish term for woven baskets) and represent a commercial skill that was used as the basis for organizing taxable communities in the past. Diversity in and amongst Roma groups has its origins in occupational identity, as much as in any other distinctions of culture.
traditions of peripatetic and mobile economies that exploit niche markets, such as peddling and trading certain livestock (horses, dogs, and small birds). Roma artisans have also made livings from repairing items deemed “uneconomic” to mend, such as pocket watches, tea-pots, and porcelain dishes—the originators of what is now described as the circular economy. Many Roma, Gypsies, and Travellers are engaged in recycling and have been for centuries, long before major environmental concerns. We were also healers and herbalists for the “country people.”
Mobility has, for many Roma, been part and parcel of identity. It’s “not all wagons and horses,” though, and Roma have been engaged with agriculture (as they still are in many places), artisan skills and automobiles trading, road repairs and roofing. Metal work of all kinds has always been part of the Roma economy, as has craft production (baskets and bamboo furniture, knives’ handles, carved and decorated wagons, fairground signs). Many groups’ names actually stem from occupations—the Balkan Sepetçiler are basket-makers (from the Turkish term for woven baskets) and represent a commercial skill that was used as the basis for organizing taxable communities in the past. Diversity in and amongst Roma groups has its origins in occupational identity, as much as in any other distinctions of culture.
What “binds” or unites the communities in all this rich diversity? The idea of a common heritage of exclusion certainly contributes to the sense of shared “pasts”—the notion of always being the “outsider,” the “other.” There are connections too in the languages; the important words for water, bread, road, blessings, luck, greetings, and farewells can be common to Rromanës dialects. Terms for horses, tools, numbers, and others are sometimes close enough in many cases that one Roma person can “trade” them with another—a favorite game in many communities, as language holds the “key” to our past in its core and “loan words,” gathered over time and migration routes.
Language experts have identified these commonalities and drawn from this heritage to illuminate this shared past and heritage.
The notion of the historical journey, the narrative of “the long road of the Roma” over 1,000 years since leaving the Indian lands, is also strong in many Roma groups as a component of identity, with good evidence to support this. Just as not all Italians are descended from Romans and Etruscans, not all Roma groups are direct descendants of Hindus from the Punjab or Ganges basin. However, the point of the “imagined community” is not that it is literally a fiction, but rather that it is symbolically meaningful and has a purpose in bringing together individuals around common ideas of heritage and belonging to which broadly, we can subscribe. The Roma, in this sense, are a people like any other, dispersed across many lands and territories over time and circumstance.
The notion of the historical journey, the narrative of “the long road of the Roma” over 1,000 years since leaving the Indian lands, is also strong in many Roma groups as a component of identity, with good evidence to support this. Just as not all Italians are descended from Romans and Etruscans, not all Roma groups are direct descendants of Hindus from the Punjab or Ganges basin. However, the point of the “imagined community” is not that it is literally a fiction, but rather that it is symbolically meaningful and has a purpose in bringing together individuals around common ideas of heritage and belonging to which broadly, we can subscribe. The Roma, in this sense, are a people like any other, dispersed across many lands and territories over time and circumstance.
The remarkable thing is that (as a famous historian of the Gypsies once noted), unlike many other peoples in this context, we have no one priesthood, no single holy book, no promised land to return to and yet we not only endure and survive, we truly live in the world. The need is to go beyond this and to flourish, to achieve equality and emancipation from poverty, exclusion, and misery, to become full citizens in the lands we inhabit and to achieve the kind of potential that the creative genius of our existence so far, clearly suggests we can reach.
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