Johanna Mendelson Forman Interview

Johanna Mendelson Forman developed a new interdisciplinary platform at American University exploring how food, as a form of soft power, can drive diplomacy, conflict resolution and civic engagement in the 21st Century. She is a leading voice in the emerging movement of Social Gastronomy and  Gastrodiplomacy, which is the use of food as a means of social impact and investment to communities at risk—and explores the nexus between food, war, and civic engagement. She is an Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of International Service, whose frontline experience as a policymaker on conflict and stabilization efforts drove her interest in connecting the role of food in conflict, resulting in the creation of Conflict Cuisine®: An Introduction to War and Peace Around the Dinner Table. “It was no secret that you could always tell where America was at war by counting the new ethnic restaurants opening in the area [Washington, DC]. So, one day I decided that these “conflict cuisines”, the foods prepared by people escaping war and violence, could be a way to show students about the power of food in preserving memories of home, and also of providing people with livelihoods that enabled them to survive.”  Dr. Mendelson Forman had a distinguished career as a practitioner and policymaker in the United States government, the United Nations and the World Bank. She is a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as the UN Foundation. This interview was conducted on May 22, 2024 and has been edited for clarity.

JT: When I say Ukraine what is the first word that comes to mind?

Borshch. War. My first thought was borshch, likely because I work on food, security, and their connection to war. Food ties closely to identity, and borshch is integral to Ukrainian culture, heritage, and tradition, reflecting regional variations.

An organization called Izhakultura aims to popularize food culture research in Ukraine, collaborating with the Ukrainian Center for Gastronomic Research on gastronomy and the culture-food link.

In 2022, Ukraine applied to UNESCO to recognize borshch as a culturally Ukrainian food, despite Russian protests. UNESCO listed Ukrainian borshch as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, citing the war's impact on the ability to cook, grow ingredients, and maintain social and cultural practices. The committee noted in its decision, “The armed conflict has threatened the viability of the element. The displacement of people and bearers threatens the element, as people are unable not only to cook or grow local vegetables for borscht but also to come together to practice the element, which undermines the social and cultural well-being of communities.”

Ukraine 1, Russia 0. It was Ukraine's first victory in the war.

JT: Culinary diplomacy and gastrodiplomacy are important tools of diplomats as soft power. What’s the nexus of civil engagement and conflict resolution in Ukraine? How is it manifested in your engagement with Ukraine?

Gastrodiplomacy uses food to engage, promote, and persuade, evident in urban food trucks and nation-branding campaigns. It’s citizen-based food diplomacy, contrasting with governmental culinary diplomacy like state dinners.

Even before the war, Ukraine aimed to use gastrodiplomacy to project its cultural identity and differentiate itself from Russia on the global stage. They deployed Ukrainian chefs to embassies worldwide to prepare traditional meals, aiming to expand Ukraine's cultural presence. Despite wartime challenges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to prioritize this soft power tool to define Ukraine's identity.

I expected this to end when the war started because of the many different needs that would have to be met. However, the government and specifically the Minister of Foreign Affairs absolutely understood the worth of this soft power tool and it continues to be part of their strategic effort to define their identity. This is not a trivial effort, and the Foreign Ministry has dedicated staff to continuing this initiative.

Chef Ievgen Klopotenko

One of Ukraine’s world-renowned chefs, Ievgen Klopotenko, became a roving cultural ambassador, traveling the world to promote Ukrainian food, including at an international culinary fair in Paris. It's not a role that he aspired to before, but it's his way of defending his country. In an interview on CBS in November 2022 he said, "If soldiers will come back from the war and there will be nothing, for what they're fighting? They're fighting for the good life." Journalist: "You're fighting for your identity." "Yeah, that's it,” Klopotenko replied. “We feel that we are different. We are strong, we have our music, we have our religion, and we have our food. And that means that we are Ukrainian." He worked tirelessly to get the UNESCO designation for Ukrainian borshch and proudly earned the nickname ‘Ambassador of Borshch.’

Chef Iiuri Kovryzhenko

Chef Iurii Kovryzhenko, another Ukrainian culinary ambassador, has actively promoted Ukrainian cuisine abroad. In Singapore, he delivered a series of culinary events which reached more than 250,000 participants. In Turkey, he organized a Ukrainian Cuisine Week. In South Korea, he launched Ukrainian restaurant "Trypillya". And in 2019, he hosted a series of Ukrainian Dinner Parties at the fashionable Hotel Bristol in Vienna, Austria.

Just before the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a remarkable Ukrainian cookbook was published by Izhakkultura, Ukraine Food and History. It tells the story of Ukrainian cuisine by placing it in its cultural context and presenting Ukrainian cooking as part of the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine. The timing of this publication could not have better. The publisher, Artem Braichenko, started going to book fairs around the world getting other international publishers to reprint the cook in other languages. The campaign was successful and the book has been published in numerous languages. This is another part of soft power diplomacy, making Ukrainian cuisine a known cultural symbol all over the world. Braichenko and his wife, Olena, remain dedicated to promoting Ukrainian culture; they continue to host events in cities in Europe to showcase Ukrainian cuisine. The book was a joint effort of Izhakultra and the Ukrainian Institute.

JT: Is it difficult to do high level cuisine in Ukraine during these days of war?

Ukraine’s cuisine relies on lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Due to the war, access to fresh food differs according to where one is in the country. There was a lot of fear, initially, when the war started, that the damage done to orchards, fields, and gardens would be devastating to the food supply in Ukraine, especially due to bombs, drones, fires, and landmines. There are lots of shortages of supplies, but they seem to have access regardless. So it is really dependent on where you are in the country whether you have access to a choice of seasonal products. What is interesting, however, is that restaurants remained open in Kyiv and Lviv, as people found comfort in heading to a place that offered good food and camaraderie. 

Ukraine, as you know, is one of the world’s dominant producers of grain. Russia’s effort to shut down the transportation of Ukrainian wheat led to steep grain prices worldwide and threats of a future famine in certain countries who rely on the shipments. Not only have the Ukrainians re-opened the shipping lanes from Odesa to ensure a steady supply of grain, they also, quietly, donate grain in certain countries to local organizations – soft power at its best.

JT: Conflict Cuisine highlights the relationship between food and systems of power, and how our dining tables shape global cuisine and family histories. How has food played a part in Ukraine’s history and revolt against Russia/the Soviet Union? What are the ways in which it is demonstrated today in Ukraine? 

In times of war or conflict, and during mass displacements, food often remains one of the few tangible remnants. Unlike destroying monuments or buildings, food memories are resilient. In Poland, culinary courses are offered to Ukrainian women refugees, creating social and economic opportunities.

Ukraine's formidable agricultural productivity has made it a target throughout history. Control over Ukraine’s agriculture has been a recurring theme in conflicts. Its chornozem or black earth covers nearly two-thirds of its agricultural lands, embodying Ukrainian cultural identity.

Ukraine, known as one of the world's breadbasket, boasts fertile lands where sunflowers thrive.

The Holodomor was a man-made famine orchestrated by Stalin, aimed at suppressing Ukrainian identity. One major outcome of the 1991 split of the Soviet Union into independent nations was the resurgence of national Ukrainian cuisine, distinct from Soviet influences, promoting what is termed Gastronationalism.

This culinary nationalism, or Gastronativism, is evident in Ukrainians reclaiming their language and spelling for foods like 'borshch' (Ukrainian) versus 'borscht' (Russian/Soviet).

JT: You visited Ukraine just before the full-scale Russian invasion and continue to speak with Ukrainian chefs. What are they sharing with you? How do they keep Ukrainian cuisine alive? How has it changed you?

In November 2021, I taught a course at the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on food diplomacy and branding.

Ukrainian chefs are actively engaged beyond the Ministry's Chef Corps. For instance, some organize fundraising dinners for the war effort and employ Ukrainian refugees in their restaurants. Chef Dima Martseniuk opened 'Ruta,' Capitol Hill's first Ukrainian restaurant in Washington, DC. Others collaborate internationally, offering internships for Ukrainian chefs.

At the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ukrainian American cuisine demonstrations highlighted the impact of war on food.

An innovative project by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs involves Minefields Honey, produced in Ukraine's mined territories using drones to plant honey-producing plants. The honey is intended for diplomats and influential figures abroad to support Ukraine's demining efforts through gastrodiplomacy.

It is calculated that 30% of Ukraine's territory, over 174,000 square kilometers, (67,200 square miles, about the size of Washington State) is mined, encompassing both private lands and critical infrastructure, bodies of water, forests and fields. Drones are used to plant specific combinations of honey-producing plants in mined agricultural fields. The bees collect the nectar. Drones track them to their hives and VOILA!! Minefields Honey. The objective is to deliver the honey to diplomats and influential citizens of other countries who can help Ukraine in de-mining…a nice morning tea with toast and Ukrainian landmine honey. Certainly, gastrodiplomacy at its best. Sadly, the honey will be a limited product at this time, but there are plans to expand it so that the product can be sold to raise funds for demining activities.

JT: What is the biggest need among Ukrainian people?

This war, unfortunately, isn’t about to end. So, it’s great to see Ukraine continue the Chef Corps. They don’t have to choose between guns and butter, they can do both. Gastrodiplomacy continues as food identity remains central to the effort to win hearts and minds through the stomach.

Food has tragically become a proxy for conflict. Access to food is a predominant theme associated with conflict. Yet, at the same time food is a very good entry point for discussion during war because everyone needs it and everyone eats it. It’s an opportunity to use food as a bridge for connection and negotiation, where possible.

HopeFull is an NGO based in Lviv that provides freshly baked pizza to someone who needs a slice of hope on a daily basis. It also operates a roving operation based across the East and the South of Ukraine setting up mobile distribution stations, usually for three or four days at a time, in Kharkiv, Odesa, Izium, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya and many other small towns and villages close to the front line. You can donate to their mission here.