Jamie Oliver to stop using the term ‘Kaffir lime leaves’ in his recipes due to racist connotations
The chef will no longer use the term in his books, TV shows or online recipes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jamie Oliver is to drop the term “Kaffir lime leaves” in his recipes in favour of “lime leaves”.
His decision comes amid concerns that the term has historically been used as a racial slur in South Africa.
Going forward, the celebrity chef will no longer use the term in his recipe books or TV shows, and his team are reportedly in the process of editing his online content to remove the term.
Kaffir lime leaves come from the citrus hystrix plant, which is native to Southeast Asia. It is known as kaffir lime, Makrut lime, Thai lime or Mauritius papeda.
In South Africa, “Kaffir” is a highly charged racial slur that refers to black Africans. It was used widely in the apartheid era and is now commonly referred to as the “K-word”.
A number of supermarkets, including Waitrose and Tesco, have also chosen to remove the word from their lime leaves packaging.
Last week, Waitrose was the first supermarket to announce its plan to change the product name to avoid causing offence.
The retailer said the decision was “in response to customer comments we’ve received” and the product would be labelled as Makrut lime leaves on its packaging, its recipe cards and at its Cookery Schools.
Waitrose packaging with the new name is due to be rolled out by early next year.
The dried lime leaves are a staple in Southeast Asian cooking, but many are unaware of the racial connotations.
Helena Dennis, Waitrose grocery trading manager, said: “This name change is a crucial step in recognising how important it is for us to listen to customers and educate ourselves when it comes to the language we use.
“While some of our customers may be unaware of the connotations of this particular word, it’s important to us that we avoid offending anyone who shops with us. It is changes like this that ensure we are moving forward.
“We need industry-wide support on this, and encourage other retailers to do the same in order to make a difference on a widespread, national scale.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments