The Gypsy Kitchen - First Gypsy Cooking Show now on YouTube!

Sinti mother and daughter Sita and Daniela have created the first Sinti cooking channel THE GYPSY KITCHEN!

Sita and Dani are Sinti who have traveled the world. They will be cooking not only their own family recipes with German influences, but recipes from Romani in every country, tracing the route of their migration from India all the way to the US.

"You can learn so much about people through their food.  We decided that a good way to teach people the true origin and culture of Romani, was through our kitchen because good food is universal."

Sita Bamberger from Heidelberg Germany,  is the niece of Romani Rose, a Romany activist and head of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma. She is also the neice of famous Romani boxer and activist Jakob Bamberger.  Her parents were survivors of the holocaust. Sita and Dani have carried on as activists for Sinti causes.  Dani set precedence becoming the first Gypsy to receive a college scholarship as a recognized minority due to the work of Ian Hancock who traced Romani routes to India, allowing Gypsy students to choose Indian as their ethnicity.

"The kitchen is the heart of our home.  Cooking is our passion.  By welcoming you into our kitchen we hope you will better understand our culture and begin to see that most of what you have known about our people has been a total lie." said Dani.

The pair warn that Gypsy cooking isn't for everyone

"We rarely measure. We don't follow recipes. We are impulsive. We go on taste. Gypsy cooking historically is about using what is available. During the war, after the war, my family had to make due. This is how we learned to cook." said Sita

Dani explains why they use the term GYPSY

"The term Gypsy as considered discriminatory by most Romani.  We are a guarded culture. This act has deprived the world of our rich culture and history, and made us the unfair target of discrimination and misconception.

Right now we are telling people Gypsy is racist and not to call us that,  then go after them for using the word in their business or to describe something.  It is confusing people.

And now with the internet, there is a lack of factual information.  Even worse is people profiting off the fantasy.  Sadly most of the  people who have books out, shows, fashion lines, they are all gadje (outsiders). 

My mom was very against using the term Gypsy because of the racial violence my family has survived. This violence is alive and well in many countries largely due to harmful stereotypes.

THIS IS why education is more important than ever.  And the internet gives us a very unique opportunity to do this. 

Educated Sinti need to use the same means of communication putting out the bad information. This is the Search engines.  We have to replace the bad with good.

But if I say Sinti or Roma, people don't know what that is. That is how much work we still have to do.  Those looking for information search  "Gypsy" and what are they finding is reality shows, spell books and gadje selling things.

Our goal is to make a presence, establish ourselves in this new online world and get people to listen.  Only then can we start getting them to understand everything they have known about us as been a lie, to finally see us as people and not as a way of life."

ROLADEN (beef rolls) with RED CABBAGE

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WANTED: Sinti and Roma Heroes and Role Models

We have no heroes, no role models, no "Davey Crockets" or "Abraham Lincolns". No "Martin Luther Kings"

The circumstances that forced the Sinti and Roma to withdraw from society and live secretive lives, robbed the future generations of their own cultural legacy. What hasn't been borrowed, or adapted from other cultures, has been made up or altered over the years leaving no tangible history of their own for the newer generations to pass on. The results have left most of us feeling disconnected and lost.

In order for our culture to really every become recognized by the rest of the world, don't we have to work at reconnecting the bridges that have been torn down or hidden over the years first? Don't we have to work from within before we can branch out.

Will there ever come a time where we have stories and heroes of our own?

I think we should start by creating personal role models and heroes. Personal heroes and role models can come from anywhere. We have the opportunity rght now to become leaders or find leaders in our own community or from the family histories of those in our culture. We need to make our own list and be able to articulate why the people are on that list. What did they do or say that kept them bigger than life in our eyes? What was our personal experience with them that earned them this place? Our list can include heroes we've never met, but studied through reading, research, or heard from our elders. It can include fathers and brothers, coaches and teachers, grandmothers and neighbors, soldiers and saints. They can be men or women, alive or dead, near or far. But they must be able to strike chords in our minds, hearts and bring focus to our culture. Then, we need to pass them on to others so they can gain from that knowledge too.

If you think about it, this is a very exciting time for Roma and Sinti. In a world, where everything has already been said, or done or written or created, we are just getting started. We have the opportunity to go down in history as leaders and pioneers! Each of us need to make one significant contribution because only through learning from the mistakes or accomplishments made by those in the past, can we every truly grow. And who knows, maybe one of you can become the futures Roma "Martin Luther King", or "Rosa Parks"!

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