Book of Days Tales

Today is the International Day of the Roma, a large stateless ethnic group known variously as Rom, Romany, Romani etc. and commonly referred to in English as “gypsies,” although that term is now a catchall for a slew of travelling people.  The day is meant as a time to celebrate the Romany people’s heritage and accomplishments, as well as a special moment to press for the end of discrimination against them around the world (and to recall that as many as 500,000 Rom died in the Holocaust).  I have a particular interest in these people because my maternal great-grandfather was Romany (our family term), so, although the connexion is distant, I feel an affinity. He was a circus performer before he married and settled down (in Oxford).

The Romany are a diasporic (territorially scattered) ethnicity of Indian origin, living mostly in Europe and the Americas. In their own language, generally called “Romani” by scholars, they are known collectively as Romane or Rromane (depending on the dialect). The double “r” in the latter is guttural and trilled. Romany are widely dispersed, with their largest concentrated populations in Europe — especially central and eastern Europe and Anatolia, the Iberian Kale, and Southern France. They originated in India and arrived in midwest Asia, then Europe, at least 1000 years ago, either separating from the Dom people or, at least, having a similar history; the ancestors of both the Romani and the Dom left North India some time between the sixth and eleventh century.  There is very little linguistic or historical evidence to pin down the time of migration from India more precisely.  It is conjectured that they were low caste musicians and entertainers who traveled to make a living.

There is not much I can say about Romany food.  When asked about what they eat, Romany will normally reply “we eat what you eat.”  This is generally the case, but I can note a few points.  First is the traditional method of cooking – a cast iron pot slung over an open fire. In Our Forgotten Years: A Gypsy Woman’s Life on the Road, Maggie Smith-Bendell talks about the open fire, called in Angloromani (the English Romany creole dialect), a yog: “The yog was the ­centre of our life, of our family. Everything got discussed and pulled apart and put back together in front of the yog. It was everybody’s job to keep it ­going. I still have fires outside.”  It was also common to eat from a single communal dish, using the right hand only, as is customary throughout India.  Smith-Bendell also notes that it was normal to catch and eat small animals such as rabbits and hedgehogs, although in the latter case they were considered impure in the breeding season.

So, I suggest a rabbit stew.  No great secret here.  Brown off a jointed rabbit with some onions or leeks. Add what vegetables you have to hand and top off your cooking pot with water.  You can also add field herbs of your choosing.  In English byways and woods there are still plenty to be found.  Simmer for an hour or more until the rabbit is tender.  With store-bought rabbit (sadly lacking in flavor in comparison with wild rabbits) an hour is sufficient.