In Germany, the name of the sauce is changed because, according to Knorr, it would be discriminatory. Gypsy sauce could be interpreted negatively, Knorr’s German branch said. The new name will be ‘Paprika sauce the Hungarian way’.
No complaints
Remia is the largest producer of this sauce in the Netherlands, but sees no reason to change the name. “If people are offended by such a term, you have to think about a name change,” said a spokesman. “But up to now we have never had any complaints from the Roma and Sinti community. There are no people in the Netherlands who are offended by this. Certainly not from the Roma movement.”
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It has even been discussed with leaders from the Roma and Sinti community, he says. “When there was a discussion about the term ‘negro kiss’ and there was indirect reference to the gypsy sauce. The leaders said that they do not find gypsy sauce discriminatory at all.”
That may have been the case at the time, but now opinions are divided, says Sabina Achterbergh, chair of the Sinti Roma Residents Association in the Netherlands (VSRWN) and of Team Woonwagen Belangen Nederland. “The term gypsy sauce is seen as a compliment on the one hand, because it is tasty and has a positive association with gypsies.”
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But, Sabina adds: “There is also a stigma to the word gypsy. In Germany, a connection is made between the word Pulling crooks, or itinerant thief, or gypsy. “
WWII
In addition, gypsies were gassed in Germany during World War II. “Then you got a Z on your back. That was the code. And a prisoner number. So gypsy is a painful word.”
And in the Netherlands it has become a swear word, she says. “A gypsy will never call himself a gypsy. A good solution would be to call the sauce Romano sauce, that is the official word for gypsy. I would like to talk to Remia about that.”
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Pedro Damen (48) does not see this problem that way. He lives in Tilburg, his father is Sinti and his mother is a caravan dweller. “The gypsy sauce, the gypsy schnitzel. I think that schnitzel is delicious. I keep eating it. That name is no problem at all for me.”
‘Don’t worry us’
“The gypsy sauce is separate from our culture”, says Pedro. “It was so named by people who may have eaten with us at some point, tasted something and tried to copy it. That’s the word gypsy sauce. What more should you say about it? We don’t care too much about it. The Netherlands.”
And Roma Heina Mirando (60) does not see gypsy sauce as discriminatory. He is Sinti, lives in Arnhem and likes to look at it in a positive way. “For example, many people like gypsy music. And you can also see gypsy sauce positively. People like to buy it and eat it.”
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Criticism in Germany for some time
The name gypsy sauce has been criticized in Germany for some time. Roma and Sinti, also known as gypsies, have already raised the alarm in 2013. “It is good that Knorr is responding to many people’s complaints,” Romani Rose of the Central Council of the German Sinti and Roma told Bild am Sonntag.
According to Rose, names such as gypsy sauce and gypsy schnitzel are still relatively harmless. He is really concerned about the growing racism against Roma and Sinti (anti-ziganism) in Germany and Europe, where the term gypsies is used as an insult in football stadiums, for example, he says.
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Roma and Sinti have a much bigger problem that they worry about, he says: the caravan problem. “Municipalities are trying to slow down that we get pitches. So people are much more concerned with surviving in the car and getting a pitch for their children, than with that sauce.”
‘Noise can still come’
This is confirmed by Gallit Brassem, who works for Travelers in action and for Team Woonwagen Belangen Nederland. “Municipalities have an extinction policy. We will not get any pitches and have no travel freedom.”
Opinions are divided on the gypsy sauce. “There is not much fuss in the Netherlands yet, but that may still come. One person says in gypsy sauce: we are positive about it. But there has also been a lot of abuse with gypsies. My mother was regularly called a dirty gypsy.”
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In short: “It just depends on how much negativity you have experienced with the word gypsy. How many times you have been called names.” He himself does not immediately see the gypsy sauce as discrimination. “If this were the worst form of discrimination, I would sign immediately.”
Nice gesture
But, he does say: “If such a company has had a nice merit from the gypsy sauce for years, and has been able to use the word, I would think it would be a nice gesture if Remia paid attention to the discrimination against Roma and Sinti. “
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