Food is more than a necessity for survival, but a reflection of history, culture, and identity. What people eat and how they prepare food tells a story about their traditions and values, across different societies. For minority communities or those facing oppression, food is a symbol of resilience and survival, allowing them to preserve their identity even when other aspects may be threatened. At the same time, food can become political with governments controlling agriculture, traditional practices or reshaping diets. Because of this, food lies at the heart of culture and control, serving both as identity in some cases, but as oppression in others. Traditional foods are essential for preserving cultural identity, especially in regards to communities experiencing displacement or repression.
The Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim minority group, are an example of how food helps to maintain culture in the face of persecution. Classic dishes such as laghman (hand pulled noodles), polo, (rice pilaf with carrots and meat), and naan reflect centuries of cultural exchange through the Silk Road, combining influences of Central Asia and the Middle East. Uyghur cuisine is also heavily connected to Islam, particularly due to the halal dietary practices and community meals emphasizing family and social bonds. Although repression limits cultural expression, Uyghur families continue to cook traditional foods such as chuchura (dumpling soup) and manta (steamed dumplings) at home and in the diaspora. Similarly, Tibetan refugees who have left their homeland preserve their cultural identity through food. Markets and restaurants will serve their traditional dishes such as momos (dumplings), thukpa (noodle soup) and tsampa (roasted barley flour), helping the younger generations maintain their connection with their heritage. Similarly, North America’s Indigenous communities also display how food preserves identity through practices like the “Three Sisters” agricultural system of corn, beans and squash, which they strategically learned to grow together as these crops support each other nutritionally and agriculturally (corn provides structure, beans fix nitrogen, and squash protects the soil). Beyond agriculture, Native Americans hold many traditional food practices including hunting, fishing, and foraging, all of which are deeply intertwined with their spiritual beliefs, where they view food as a sacred gift from the Earth, as well as with seasonal cycles and respect for the land. Despite colonization disrupting these traditions, many Indigenous communities are reviving their traditional crops and food methods as an art of the broader food sovereignty movement. This movement emphasizes self-sufficiency, cultural revitalization and reclaiming control over traditional food systems that have been taken away from them. In all these cases, food becomes a daily form of expression for cultural survival, reinforcing how it preserves identity for many cultures.
However, food can also be turned into a tool for control by the government, particularly with repressive states. By regulating access to food, authorities are able to exert power over populations and limit independence. In North Korea, the government operates their Public Distribution System that manages people’s access to staple foods such as rice and corn. In this system, farmers are placed in state-run cooperatives and are required to meet strict quotas, often without being able to keep surplus food. Along with policies that prioritize the military instead of civilians, the system contributed to the severe famine of the 1990s, during which widespread hunger ensued. A few kilometers over, in the Soviet Union under Stalin, collectivization forced peasants into state-controlled farms and eliminated private agriculture. The government forced high grain quotas onto the farmers and confiscated food from any villages that failed to meet them, contributing to what is known as the Holodomor, a famine that led to millions of deaths, which Ukraine experienced the hardest. In China, nearly thirty years later, the Great Leap Forward was initiated, where they also replaced private farming with communal systems, and established unrealistic production quotas leading to excessive grain collection by the state. Rural populations were left without enough food and one of the deadliest famines in modern history resulted. Ultimately, in each country, food scarcity was not the cause of the entire issue, but deliberate control was. It shows how access to basic necessities can be manipulated in order to enforce political power. Ultimately, food’s importance extends beyond culture and identity but also reflects political realities. Many communities use food to preserve their history, maintain tradition, and keep resilient to fight oppression. However, food is oftentimes a method for governments to control populations and limit freedom. Despite these conditions, people continue to adapt through their recipes, sharing meals and passing down traditions, making food a powerful symbol of survival and how culture is able to endure the most difficult circumstances.
