Jamie Oliver accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ over ‘jerk’ rice dish
Shadow minister with Jamaican roots turns up heat on celebrity chef over supermarket ready meal
TELEVISION chef Jamie Oliver found himself in hot water last night after his latest creation for the high street became the subject of an extraordinary political backlash.
Dawn Butler, the shadow equalities minister, has accused Oliver of cultural “appropriation” over his new “punchy” jerk rice, which he hoped consumers would fall head over heels for.
Confronting Oliver on Twitter, Ms Butler questioned whether he understood what “jerk” was and suggested that he receive a “masterclass” from Levi Roots, the British-jamaican reggae musician and cook.
Ms Butler, MP for Brent Central and the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, said that it was “not just a word you put before stuff to sell products”, adding: “This appropriation from Jamaica needs to stop.”
It comes four years after Oliver, the world’s wealthiest chef, faced criticism over a recipe for Jollof rice, a west African dish. His recipe, published in June 2014, was heavily criticised for changing the method and ingredients used.
Ms Butler’s comments were later echoed by Regina Holland, a human resources assistant of Jamaican descent, who said that the dish was a “bastardisation of our national dish”.
Ms Holland added: “There’s no such thing as jerk rice apart from what Jamie Oliver has concocted. Anybody from any nationality can eat anything they want, there are just some dishes that are best left alone and enjoyed how they’re supposed to be made.”
Meanwhile, David Llewellyn, a Welsh novelist and writer, challenged Oliver over the ingredients of the dish.
“I was about to headbutt my desk... because most cultural appropriation brouhahas are nonsense,” he added.
“Then I saw this description. On what planet can ‘garlic, ginger and jalapeños’ be described as ‘jerk’?
“I’ve made jerk marinade, and the only ingredient of those three that I used – following about half a dozen different recipes for reference – was garlic.
“It’s like stamping a
Union Jack on ‘traditional fish and chips’ except the fish is a salmon en croute and the chips are crisps.” Jamie Oliver and his new ‘punchy’ jerk rice have become the subject of an extraordinary backlash Believed to have originated among African slaves brought to the Caribbean by the British and Spanish during the 17th century, jerk is a marinade used to dry-rub meat. Its primary ingredients are allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers, and it is typically used when cooking chicken or pork. The term is believed to have come from “ch’arki”, a Hispanic word for dried or salted meat. However, Ms Butler’s intervention drew a mixed reaction online, with some commentators questioning whether criticising a rice brand was the best use of her time. They included Stephen Pollard, an author and commentator, who said: “This woman is in the shadow cabinet. She’s objecting to the name of a recipe.”
She was also mocked by Neil O’brien, the Conservative MP for Oadby and Wigston, who said: “If Jamie Oliver isn’t allowed to make jerk chicken because it’s cultural ‘appropriation’, she’s going to go mad when she finds out about Jamie’s Italy.” Oliver’s £2.30 microwaveable rice is vegetarian and includes garlic, ginger and jalapeños.
The row began when Marti Burgess, the associate director of Gregg Latchams, a law firm, tweeted a picture of the jerk rice in her local supermarket. A spokesman for Oliver was unavailable when approached for comment last night. The row comes amid growing concern for the chef ’s restaurant empire, which has been forced to close 12 of its restaurants in recent months due to tough trading conditions and a fall in sales. Ms Butler was recently involved in another highprofile row with Lord Sugar, whom she reported to the Lords watchdog after he compared the Senegal football team to beach vendors in Marbella. She also called on the BBC, which airs The Apprentice, the tycoon’s series, to investigate the incident.