Food as a contested site: Miscegenation theories and forms of resistance in Brazil and Cape Verde

This article analyzes food as a metaphor and as a disputed field in theories of mixed race identity in Brazil and in Cabo Verde. Based on an ethnographic approach and an examination of the works of intellectuals such as Gilberto Freyre and Gabriel Mariano, it discusses how cuisine has been mobilized to reinforce the idea of cultural fusion and racial harmony. In contrast, narratives that challenge this perspective are presented, such as the notion of kumida di tera, which recovers food practices as forms of resistance to colonialism. These narratives align Stephan Palmié’s understanding of Fernando Ortiz’s proposition of the ajiaco cubano, exploring perspectives that emphasize heterogeneity and the continuity of cultural processes. Thus, food is proposed not merely as a symbol of theories of mixed race identity but as an autonomous field of knowledge, agency, and social transformation, in which distinct logics of composing and negotiating differences are elaborated and contested.

Keywords:
mestizaje; food; Cape Verde; kumida di tera