'Discriminatory' food names should be banned, says Austria
By Nick Squires
They say it is no longer acceptable to include Zigeunerschnitzel (gipsy schnitzel) or Mohr im Hemd (Moor-in-a-shirt, a chocolate and cream confection) on menus in the Alpine country.
Negerbrot (n-----bread), a type of black bread, was particularly derogatory and should be consigned to history.
The association of Austrian restaurateurs said that while many of the appellations had a long heritage, they were now unacceptable.
It is not just German names that they want to ditch – the association also objects to "spaghetti alla puttanesca", literally "whore's spaghetti", so named for its rich, spicy taste – chilli is added to the recipe of tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies.
The dish, which is often found in Italian restaurants around the world, became popular in the 1960s, according to the Italian Pasta Makers Union.
"Our job is all about welcoming people and for this reason we should offer a good example," the association told the Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper.
It suggested that gipsy schnitzel should be renamed "cutlet with pepper sauce", "n----- bread" should be scrapped in favour of "very dark bread" and "Moor-in-a-shirt" should be called simply and rather prosaically "chocolate dessert with cream".
The proposal was welcomed by Sos Mitmensch, a group that campaigns for integration and equality in Austria.
"Discrimination is no laughing matter, even when it happens unwittingly or because of tradition," said Alexander Pollak, a spokesman.
But Harald Ultsch, the president of a Tyrolean gastronomy association, said the proposed ban took political correctness too far. "These are traditional dishes," he said.
