Food Creolization as a Medium of Cultural Hybridity: An Exploration of the Graphic Novel Rare Flavours

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Culture; Food; Cultural Hybridity; Creolization; Identity; Recipes; Graphic novel

Abstract

Food as an entity is principally attributed with the functionality of demonstrating cultural roots, pertaining either to a specific geographical landmark or community of people following varied traditions. The emerging field of Food Studies in literature illustrates how food constitutes a pivotal role in highlighting authentic cultural values and beliefs, through various storytelling techniques; fictional or non-fictional. This article, however, examines the work Rare Flavours (2023), a graphic novel written by Ram V and illustrated by Filipe Andrade to explore how the plot interweaves different remarkable Indian cuisines with culture, which is effectively enkindled by Rubin Baksh’s, relentless quest for culinary relish. Nonetheless, a multitude of research works exemplify the manner in which cooking and food culminates in the galvanization of distinct experiences, memory, culture, or even as an adaptive strategy. Food predominantly substantiates cultural transformation with evolving times, yet the aspect of hybridity of culture facilitated by cuisine remains underexplored. Therefore, the emphasis of this article is centered on a profound dissection of the amalgamation of existing cultures and emergence of new cultures that is further accentuated by various recipes. With each recipe and its ingredients chronicled in the graphic novel, conducting as a connotation of cultural prominence; Rare Flavours (2023) is subjected to a scrupulous analysis from the lens of creolization theory. A theory that customarily examines the process of cultural mixing enabled by the concurrent presence of different languages, traditions or belief systems; the purpose of this theory can also be stretched to food studies. The colourful illustrations in the graphic novel (2023) accentuates the essence of the plot through the visual imagery and metaphors that serves as the carriage of deeper meaningful implications of memory and individuality, as constructed through food culture. Rubin Baksh’s journey of experiencing different culinary delight displays creolization through cuisine, as a conspicuous element of cultural hybridity and subsequent identity formation, as it is moulded by the enormously diverse cultural influences.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Rukmini Sarma
AU  - P. Kanimozhi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
TI  - Food Creolization as a Medium of Cultural Hybridity: An Exploration of the Graphic Novel Rare Flavours
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 82
EP  - 92
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_10
ID  - Sarma2026
ER  -