Page 36 - Winter2020

Millions of about the value of their heritage foods, includ- from their own food and medicinal heritage due

people across ing coconut. With access to knowledge, they to obsolete beliefs about saturated fat exported
can reclaim their cultural heritage and reap its decades ago from the United States.
the tropical health benefits. In 2002, I co-founded the inde-
coconut- pendent education initiative “Foods that Heal” Pilar Egüez Guevara, PhD, is the director

growing (Comidas que curan) to document and promote and co-founder of Comidas que curan and the
the value of traditional foods through research director and producer of Raspando coco. This
regions of and film. Using film and ethnography, Comidas piece was originally published (with edits and
3
the world que curan seeks to document and teach about comments from Lisa Knisely) on the RENDER
recognize food traditions and transformations in Ecuador Feminist Food & Culture Quarterly blog and
and Latin America.
reposted on Pilar’s blog (quinuaqueens.word-
coconuts as Raspando coco (“Scraping Coconuts”) is press.com). Individuals interested in supporting
an integral the latest documentary we released in 2018 this work can sign up for the newsletter, order
part of their based on the research findings described above, the Raspando coco DVD (licensed for home/
which we gathered and filmed between 2012 personal viewing or education use) or request
regional and 2017. (The film is in Spanish but available an online community or school screening and
4
culinary with English or Japanese subtitles.) Raspando Q&A with the director-producer at pilareguez.
traditions, coco, thirty-one minutes long, covers current wixsite.com/raspandococo. Follow Pilar and
scientific findings and revisits the history of lo-
Comidas que curan on YouTube (youtube.com/
everyday cal foods in Esmeraldas as told and remembered channel/UCcEFwt0cKSiMT-PvvenhFcg), In-
culture and by the bearers of these food traditions. In 2018, stagram (@raspando_coco) or Facebook (@
history. I brought this award-winning film to the homes comidasquecuran.com.ec).
of each one of my interviewees in Esmeraldas.
It was certainly empowering for them to see REFERENCES
themselves positively represented in the film, 1. “Lowland paca” (called guanta in Ecuador). Wiki-
pedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowland_paca.
and through their own memories to rediscover 2. Taubes, G. What if it’s all been a big fat lie? The New
and embrace their culinary traditions with the York Times Magazine. July 7, 2002. https://www.
added benefits to their health and well-being. nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-
As in Esmeraldas, millions of people across 3. been-a-big-fat-lie.html.
http://comidasquecuran.com.ec/english-foods-that-
the tropical coconut-growing regions of the heal/.
world recognize coconuts as an integral part of 4. https://pilareguez.wixsite.com/raspandococo.
their regional culinary traditions, everyday cul- .
ture and history. Raspando coco tells a story that
is relatable to people of color across the globe—
people who have been unjustifiably scared away

The recipes for masato—a traditional
Esmeraldan drink made with ripe sweet
plantain, coconut milk and cinnamon—
and other traditional foods from
Esmeraldas are shown in the
documentary Raspando coco.
(Photo by the author.)

34 Wise Traditions WINTER 2020