Die etende Afrikaner : 'n Ondersoek na die kulinêre literatuur van Marlene van Niekerk

Abstract

Over the last century, food has come to be recognised as more than merely a source of survival. A growing interest in both the culinary arts and in literature on the culinary has surfaced food as a theme in various academic fields. As such, the study of culinary literature can be pursued across different fields of the humanities where the relationship between food and the human experience manifests explicitly, and thus, culinary literature has become a popular field of interest with academics worldwide. This increasing interest in culinary culture and literature gave rise to this study. Here, Marlene van Niekerk’s culinary literature is dissected in order to reveal the various representations of food in her work and the powerful relations that manifest through these. The main objective of this study is to determine the extent to which her culinary work can be regarded as a valuable contribution to her literary oeuvre as a whole. Based on the theories of Stephen Mennell, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, Arjun Appadurai, M.F.K. Fisher, Roland Barthes, Mary Douglas, Carol Adams, Allison Carruth and Doris Whitt among others, this study focuses on the representation of gender, identity, culture, memory and nostalgia in Van Niekerk's culinary literature. It indicates how certain stereotypes regarding gender and sexuality are suggested through cuisine; how class differences are highlighted by means of eating habits; as well as how (nostalgic) memory is recalled through the experience of culinary practice(s). An overview of culinary literature in the Afrikaans literary discourse serves as background and contextualization in order to place Van Niekerk's writing in the broader culinary discourse. Van Niekerk unveils certain stereotypes by using satirical commentary and by focussing on how traditions and habits, specifically dietary eating customs, confirm certain prejudices. In the end, Van Niekerk warns against a nostalgic attitude towards Afrikaners who undermine new and innovative possibilities. This research indicates that Van Niekerk’s culinary literature needs to be situated within the context of cultural studies, as her writing examines Afrikaans cultural identity and can be regarded as satirical representations thereof. Although a number of studies have been conducted on Van Niekerk's literary work, there still seems to be a gap regarding research on her culinary literature and this research indicates that, as food is inextricably linked to the symbolic relationship attached to it through cultural practice, Van Niekerk’s culinary literature must be read as a significant component of her oeuvre.