Food as History: The Dimensions of Taste

Abstract

Being the cuisine a microcosm of society and an inexhaustible source of historical knowledge, it is important that some of their productions are regarded as gustatory heritage of society. Certain dishes can be regarded as cultural assets, as intangible heritage, for all that they should represent, from the point of view of the originality and creativity, which highlight the local and regional identities. A summary of the Brazilian cuisine seeks to explain the influence of food cultures from two different realities: the authentic local and regional food culture, and the food culture that originated from external and influential civilization. Such contacts and symbioses reveal complex relationships and exchanges of differences, affirmed and reaffirmed in fruitful assimilation, which results in a certain hybridization of Brazilian food. The itinerary of a trip down the gustatory memory seeks to explain the meaning of the Brazilian cuisine, which is not limited to typical national products. It is important to restate that this gastronomic universe is a complex and dynamic cuisine, marked by the adoption of foods, techniques and patterns of consumption which has as its starting point the expression of the advents of the diversity of typical Brazilian food habits