Knorr will rename a sauce that uses a derogatory term for Roma people
Knorr, the German food company best known in the U.S. for its dehydrated pasta mixes, announced that it is changing the name of one of its products, a popular sauce in Germany, due to its racist connotations.the Associated Press reports . “Since ‘gypsy sauce’ can be interpreted in a negative way, we have decided to give our Knorr sauce a new name,” said Unilever, the company that owns Knorr. “Gypsy” is a pejorative term that refers to Roma people, an ethnic group that has long facedThe word “Zigeunersauce” has been used in Germany for more than a century to describe a spicy sauce made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, vinegar, and spices, most often served with meat, per AP.
The news, which was first reported by German newspapers, comes on the heels of a larger international reckoning with racist histories, policies, and norms that continue to this day. In the months after protesters first began demonstrating against police brutality and anti-Black racism in the U.S., the companies behind brands like