Ikea apologises for selling traditional Caribbean jerk chicken dish with ‘rice and peas’ using the wrong ingredients after blunder sparks backlash over cultural ‘disrespect’
- Ikea has apologised for selling jerk chicken dish and removed it from UK stores
- Flatpack furniture giant was slammed on Twitter for its take on Caribbean dish
- Rice and peas customarily made with kidney beans as opposed to garden peas
- The dish was being served at UK branches along with a ‘jerk gravy’ for £6.95
Ikea has apologised for selling jerk chicken with ‘rice and peas’ and removed the dish from stores after the Swedish firm was accused of cultural appropriation.
The flatpack furniture giant said it was ‘relooking’ at its take on the traditional Caribbean dish following a Twitter backlash.
Rice and peas is customarily made using long grain rice and coconut milk, with the ‘peas’ referring to kidney beans.
However one customer took a photograph of Ikea’s version of the dish, which included green garden peas along with white rice.
Ikea has apologised for selling jerk chicken with ‘rice and peas’ (Ikea dish pictured) and removed the dish from stores after the Swedish firm was accused of cultural appropriation
The traditional jerk chicken dish, comes with rice and kidney beans (pictured), referred to as ‘peas’
Sharing the image online, Twitter user @themlotsdad wrote: ‘This is Ikea’s jerk chicken and rice and peas and no I’m not eating it.’
The photograph prompted a raft of responses accusing Ikea of ‘sacrilege’ and ‘disrespect’ of Caribbean culture.
The dish was being served at in-store cafes in UK branches of Ikea along with a lime wedge and ‘jerk gravy’ for £6.95.
However Ikea revealed it had now taken the dish off the menu as it ‘relooks’ at its offering.
Twitter users were unimpressed with Ikea’s version of the traditional Caribbean dish
Lorena Lourido, head of food at Ikea in UK and Ireland, said: ‘Ikea is a Swedish home furnishing company with a much-loved food offer.
‘We take inspiration from many countries around the world and have always worked to combine different flavours and ingredients to offer delicious, healthy and affordable dishes.
‘We’re aware that our new jerk chicken, served with rice and peas has created some conversation and in some cases offence.
‘Our intention was to create a dish for many people to enjoy but we appreciate that we may have got it wrong. We apologise and we are now relooking at the dish.’
Rice and peas is customarily made using long grain rice and coconut milk, with the ‘peas’ referring to kidney beans. Pictured is the Ikea version with peas, not beans
The flatpack furniture giant (store exterior pictured) said it was ‘relooking’ at its take on the traditional Carribean dish following a Twitter backlash