The Gastronomic Patrimony in France: How to Think a Monument, from the Artifact to the Mentifact?

Abstract

Gastronomy in France was historically connected to the concept of heritage. This factor is partly due to the place that food occupies in French culture. This article raises some critical clues to the concepts of gastronomy and heritage that underpin the concept gastronomy heritage in France (a complete research will be published soon). In this direction, the concept of heritage is disconnected from the written and the built monument, which historically tend to emphasize the elite belongings, and passes to be understood as the representative expression of belonging to a “culture”. The monument, in this context, is related to the intangible universe of knowledge, savoir-faire, social practices and popular expressions that underlie the French gastronomic tradition.