Unmasking the Traitor

Chocolate: It’s true. Long before it reached Europe, the Olmec, Maya and Aztecs were grinding cacao into a rich, spiced drink, and it was so prized that the beans were once used as currency. Today you can still taste chocolate made the traditional way in Oaxaca.

UNESCO: This is the lie. Traditional Mexican cuisine was one of the very first food cultures UNESCO recognised, back in 2010, but it isn’t the only one in the Americas. Haiti’s joumou soup was added in 2021 and Peru’s ceviche in 2023. Mexico still deserves its place at the table, from slow-cooked mole to tacos al pastor eaten standing at a street stall.

Spanish speakers: It’s true. Mexico has well over 120 million Spanish speakers, which is more than twice the population of Spain.

Kilimanjaro: It’s true. Kilimanjaro rises on its own from the plains rather than as part of a range, which makes it the tallest freestanding mountain on Earth. On a clear morning you can watch the snow on its summit turn pink from the savannah below.

Serengeti: It’s true. The name comes from the Maasai word siringet, and standing out on those golden grasslands with nothing but acacia trees on the horizon, it makes complete sense.

Freddie Mercury: It’s true. He was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in 1946 and spent his early childhood on the island. You can still wander the same narrow lanes, past carved wooden doors and the smell of cloves drifting from the spice markets.

Chess: It’s true. Chess began as chaturanga, which was played in India around the 6th century, and the pieces represented the four divisions of an ancient army.

Films: It’s true. India makes more films than any other country, often well over 1,500 a year in dozens of languages. Watching a Bollywood blockbuster in a packed cinema, with the audience cheering and singing along, is an experience in itself.

Lions and tigers: It’s true. The Gir forest in Gujarat is the last wild home of the Asiatic lion, while tigers roam reserves like Ranthambore and Kanha. Nowhere else on Earth can claim both.