Greater Victoria Cultural Food Community Map

Maya Watson, Sarah Mastromonaco, Kaedin Konowalchuk, & Chris Rusin in Collaboration with Iyé Creative

We acknowledge, respect, and thank the Lekwungen, Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples - past, present, and future - for their stewardship, care, and relationship to this land where we live, play, eat, grow, and connect with one another. 

Who we are

Iyé Creative (Iyé) is a social enterprise that works to gather community-led solutions to bring sustainable change. Iyé works to identify and address barriers that impede the participation and contribution of communities of colour in accessing land and nutritious, culturally relevant food through research, community building and cross-collaboration. 

This project has utilised community based research to gather information relative to culturally significant foods in order to showcase the gap of cultural food access and production in the Greater Victoria region.

Why are cultural foods so important?

Food is not merely a means for survival but is a critical component of cultural and individual well being. Food brings people together in all cultures, facilitating connection, conversation, empathy and meaning.

Food is intricately and explicitly linked to peoples cultural identity and heritage. Cultural foods help maintain a sense of belonging and identity - providing connection to one's culture.

Cultural foods are essential parts of celebrations, religions, holidays and everyday life. Foods are a source of tradition and cultural knowledge, which is then passed down through generations.

Cultural foods are extremely important for physical health of these communities. Abrupt cultural differences in diet can cause rapid decline in immigrant health after moving.

Food provides and creates a sense of place where these foods are eaten and cultivates meaningful connections to one another.

The Gap in Cultural Food

The gap that we have been able to identify is that there is a lack of culturally relevant foods being grown and sold at affordable prices in the Victoria and Saanich regions for IBPOC, community members experiencing marginalization and refugees.

Furthermore, there is also a gap in accessible information resources for these communities to navigate the food scene in the Victoria and Saanich regions.

Community-based Research Results

Where are people accessing culturally important foods? What are the barriers?

Currently, the vast majority of residents in Greater Victoria are getting their food from grocery stores.

We believe that focus must shift on local cultural food growing initiatives; this supports local farmers and producers, builds more connected and resilient communities, and aids individual health, among other benefits.

Locations of stores (red) and restaurants (orange) that provide access to cultural foods in Greater Victoria; complied by community responses.

What foods are culturally important to you that are difficult to find here?

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Okra

Okroshka, Syrniki, Unsweetened Kvass

Bok Choy

Fresh gooseberry, Indian taro root, green mango

Cassava flour & leaves

Sorrel, Black Eyed Peas, Jocote

Collards, Eggplant, Fresh jicama

Arepas

Cultural Food Stories from the Community

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“I only eat cultural foods when my mother cooks. Anything with bones is what I consider cultural foods; chicken feet, pig feet and pig legs are some of my favourites! Home to me is where my mother is because that is where I get to eat cultural foods” - Anonymous

I never learned to cook cultural dishes, instead quick and easy foods like fruit are my favourite cultural foods, such as mangos are one of my favourites. In my town I used to be able to walk down the street and eat the fallen mangos right off the trees. The mangos from home got nutrients from the soil and the sun that make their flavour and nutrients unique. It's hard because imported mangos in Victoria will never be as good as fresh ones in Colombia. - Anonymous

"I'm not sure if it was cultural but my mother would always eat buttermilk, potato chips, & cayenne together as a snack." - Community member from Tanzania

"There are no Arepas here, or if there are they don't taste the same. We have to travel to Vancouver to be able to enjoy a cultural food staple. It is like our bread, we eat arepas with everything. We miss being able to enjoy such an important food." - Anonymous couple from Colombia

"Black Stone Flower - nothing quite like it!"

"Growing up my comfort food was congee, called "yok" in Thai. My parents would make this whenever I got the slighest cold."

"It's a memory not just unique to me, but unique to almost everyone who has spent a fair share of time living the Middle East. It's Karak Chai with saffron (it's a type of tea with saffron in it) and an Arabic shawarma, it is a staple in all countries in the Middle East."

"Watching my grandmother make coocoo from cornmeal and okra and flying fish with tomato and onion gravy... sooo tasty."

"I remember hopping over stones in my Vavó’s garden, and pick the strawberries as they became right (even though I was told to wait until there was more!)"

"My mother would prepare white radish corn flour roti when the radishes were available seasonally. similarly, mustard greens creamed spinach."

Concluding Thoughts

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Next Steps

To overcome accessibility barriers and address the gap we have discovered, more resources must go towards the local production of culturally appropriate foods, as well as to having cultural food events to share knowledge, discuss solutions for this gap, and build community.

We hope these findings help guide Iyé Creative in allocating resources for the local production and distribution of cultural food and aid in generating communal abundance for all.