The Soul Food of Europe

The history of the Romani people is steeped in persecution and misinformation. They were mistaken for hailing from Egypt, hence the name “Gypsies.” The oft-used “Roma” wrongly implies a descent from Romania, though a large population remains there today. The Romani actually came from India, fleeing there around 1000 AD to avoid the violent spread of Islam and migrating into what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Constantly persecuted, they continually moved west and broke into smaller groups that moved...