Epistemologies of food; cultural manifestation

Epistemology means;

?-General reflection on the nature, stages and limits of human knowledge, especially in the relationships established between the inquiring subject and the inert object, the two traditional polarities of the cognitive process; theory of knowledge; or

-Study of the postulates, instructions and methods of the different branches of scientific knowledge, or of theories and practices in general, evaluated in their cognitive validity, or described in their evolutionary trajectories, their structural paradigms or their relationships with society and history; theory of science.

In this article on epistemologies of food, the academic work developed by Silvana Graudenz Muller, Fabiana Mortimer Amaral and Carlos Augusto Remor, brought much useful information on the subject, clarifying and expanding the numerous doubts that exist on the subject of food as a cultural manifestation.

Food and Culture: preservation of traditional gastronomy

Food culture is an identity trait of a people.

It is the set of historical, cultural, environmental and territorial practices and knowledge related to food.

It encompasses the entire process from food cultivation to disposal.

The article is epistemologically based on the rapid cultural transformations that are occurring in different regions of Brazil, especially related to dietary patterns such as typical cuisines, understood in this context as those that identify a place within a process of historical-cultural construction of dietary practices.

The objective is to analyze the actions of government agencies, both national and international, regarding the preservation of local cuisine.

I explain the policy of protection of intangible heritage, quality seals and cultural preservation existing in the European Union.

The result of a survey conducted is a reflection on the situation of typical Brazilian cuisine, which is undergoing a process of homogenization of flavors and aromas, and the possibilities of preserving this cultural asset.

Initial introduction to the topic

It is currently observed that the preparations of typical cuisines are losing certain historical and cultural characteristics, since the collective memory and knowledge arising from the process of preparing these traditional preparations are disappearing, due to the globalization of markets, the homogenization of cuisines, cheaper or faster food and the ease of acquiring new goods that are foreign to the culture of origin.

The relative excess of mixtures of gastronomic preparations, as a result of an unbridled process of global growth, has sparked interest in studying typical gastronomy, evaluating the possibilities of valuing this knowledge, considering and classifying typical gastronomy as Intangible Heritage that must be preserved for cultural reasons.

It is understood that typical gastronomy can be preserved through know-how, the knowledge implicit in the process, since the raw material inherent to it is normally perishable.

This preserved knowledge generates a positive condition for the dissemination of food practices to future generations, ensuring the perpetuation of memory in the community.

According to the famous French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, gastronomy in general can be understood as the fundamental knowledge of everything that concerns man as he eats, with the aim of ensuring the preservation of men through the best possible diet.

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Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (April 1, 1755, Belley, France - February 2, 1826, Paris) was a French lawyer, politician and chef.

He was one of the most famous French epicureans and gastronomes of all time.

He was born in the city of Belley, Ain, and devoted himself in the early years of his life to the study of law, chemistry and medicine in Dijon, having even practiced law in his hometown.

In 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was appointed deputy of the National Constituent Assembly, where he acquired some fame, particularly due to his public defense of capital punishment.

He adopted the surname Savarin after the death of an aunt of his, who left him her entire fortune on the condition that he adopt her last name.

Within the set of gastronomic manifestations there is Typical Gastronomy, which can be defined as: the combination of knowledge and flavors originating from food and drinks and service practices that are or were part of the eating habits of a locality, within a historical-cultural process of its construction.

It is a movement that belongs to a specific space-time and is believed to be linked to traditions and heredity, or the origins of a certain region and the people who lived there. Garcia (1999) in his study points out the connection between gastronomy and regional identity, with food being a language related to regional culture through the customs and behaviors of a people.

This fact includes their food preparations, since the way of cooking is linked to the way of life of a population.

Agreeing, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin emphasizes that gastronomy fits into this context, since it is conditioned by the cultural values and social codes in which people develop, that is, their identity.

In addition to this representation, gastronomy will always provide not only palatable pleasures, but also add cultural knowledge to man and, consequently, social status and the ability to coexist and relate to society.

As stated, Typical Gastronomy and everything related to it is perceived as an ethnic marker, that which identifies a location and is the result of the cultural alliance of formation, colonization or evolution itself.

These are cuisines that perpetuate the influence of gastronomic culture on social life and customs.

And they are associated with particular peoples, constituting aspects of identity and being the symbolic key to customs.

According to Flandrin and Montanari (1996), researchers on food and culture, typical food cuisines are elements that enhance regional culture, perpetuate the culinary memory of families and can provide economic gains, both for industry and local commerce.

It can be said, then, that Typical Gastronomy allows a culture to be symbolized.

Based on this premise, this research aims to make an initial analysis of national and international public policies related to the preservation and appreciation of typical gastronomy as a cultural asset of an intangible nature.

Epistemologies of food; cultural manifestation

The meanings of food for societies cannot be understood within a worldview that encompasses only nutritional and biological indicators.

Behavior related to food reveals the culture in which each person is inserted.

It is in human food that the structure of society is materialized, that social, socio-environmental interaction and the socio-cultural representations of those who share the same culture are updated.

I conclude that the conceptual abstraction of culture is realized on the plate.

Tradition, history, flavors, techniques and culinary practices together contribute to the formation of regional cultures.

There is a tendency in society to value the heritage of its cuisine, as well as the recovery of traditional cuisine in various parts of the world, thus occurring the revaluation of cultural roots, emphasizing that eating is above all a symbolic act, a translator of signs, formal recognitions, colors, textures, temperatures, among others.

It consists of an act that unites memory, desire, hunger, meaning, sociability and ritual.

Hernandez also argues that certain dishes become totem dishes, being attributed a peculiar symbolic value, serving as indicators of identity, specificities and differences.

Eating habits are linked to other social dimensions and to identity.

The cultural value of the act and way of eating is increasingly understood as heritage, since food is a translator of peoples, nations, civilizations, ethnic groups, communities and families.

Understanding the culinary structure as the set of rules and norms related to food, including the foods chosen, the organization of the menu, the preparation techniques and the seasonings, it is possible to identify the cuisine of a region or nation as a cultural particularity.

It is worth noting that from the stages of preparation to consumption, several factors of cultural identity are included.

According to studies by Rozin y Rozin, each culture produces a unique cuisine, with recipes, ingredients, aromas, preparation techniques, ways of serving and even eating, with particular classifications and precise rules, both in relation to the preparation and combination of foods, as well as in relation to their harvesting, production, conservation and consumption.

Typical preparations are not limited to different recipes, but involve ingredients, methods, preparations, forms of sociability and systems of meanings that are based, above all, on lived experience.

Therefore, studying the characteristics of a typical cuisine is a complex activity, since it is not uniformly distributed throughout the country.

In Brazil, for example, the origins, influences and culinary habits manifest themselves differently in each region.

When a food becomes typical in a location, it is because it is already part of its culture.

Typical cuisine opposes certain aspects that tend to standardize cultures because they are local specificities.

We can see an appreciation of flavors belonging to the region's native elements, produced by small producers with geoclimatic peculiarities (terroir), in accordance with artisanal standards.

The practices of valuing Typical Gastronomy propose the use of dishes and products that portray the dietary differences of each place.

Fagliari, in his study, (2005, p.54) points out that typical dishes and products are elements that can be easily worked on in order to become tourist attractions.

The use of these elements is also in line with what is sought by Cultural Tourism, which shows an interest in corroborating the local experience lived by tourists, through territorial peculiarities.

Ginani (2005), a scholar of food culture, states that regional recipes are known and valued because they are part of native eating habits, being prepared with ingredients available in the region and prepared with techniques passed down from generation to generation.

Fagliari (2005, p.55), agreeing with Ginani, considers that the income generated by the acquisition of typical dishes and products is interesting, especially considering the predominance of small local producers in the production and sale of this type of element.

Furthermore, there is the possibility of including the local population in the production and marketing of these products, since they are the ones who have the skills to produce them.

Botelho (2006) emphasizes that, once the preservation of recipes and food rituals is guaranteed, all social actors involved will be able to maintain their direct and indirect gains.

The author also states that the preservation of local gastronomy can sustain community life, as it presupposes social inclusion through the generation of jobs and income and, consequently, the exercise of citizenship.

She also emphasizes that when analyzing local economic development, the preservation or reinvention of typical cuisines plays a significant role.

In this sense, the use of ingredients available in the region facilitates the acquisition of fresher and higher quality products, since it is a food produced with the characteristics of a terroir, and it also helps to preserve the environment by making it possible to largely avoid the movement of food across the country.

As we have seen, a nation's eating habits do not arise solely from the mere instinct for survival or from man's pleasure in eating, but express its history, geography, climate and social organization, and can be included in the list of assets that make up the so-called Intangible Heritage.

Intangible Heritage

Intangible Heritage is an asset of an intangible nature, dynamic in nature and closely associated with cultural practices and representations.

Among the manifestations of heritage in the contemporary world, the Federal Constitution of Brazil defines Intangible Heritage as the ways of creating, doing and living, expressed in rituals, celebrations, among others.

The same document guarantees the preservation of Brazil's Intangible Heritage.

According to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, approved by UNESCO on October 17, 2003, Intangible Cultural Heritage is understood as: the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques – together with the instruments, objects, artifacts and places associated with them – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as an integral part of their cultural heritage.

This heritage is transmitted from generation to generation and is constantly recreated by communities based on their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, generating a sense of identity, contributing to the promotion of respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.

Discussions about the understanding and strategies for protecting intangible cultural heritage have been a focus of Brazilian and foreign historians, anthropologists, sociologists and scholars from other fields for several decades.

According to studies by Sena (2008), heritage assets represent a narrative about the trajectory of what it means to be Brazilian, or even what one seeks to be.

Preserving this asset means contemplating diversity, allowing and ensuring that various types of human activity are perpetuated.

It is a way of allowing future generations to have access to the nation's ancestry and cultural heritage.

The phenomenon of the patrimonialization of typical gastronomy

Today, we talk about gastronomic heritage, its importance in preserving local culture, and the various ways of adding value to community products.

The understanding of the term heritage, among other possibilities, is pointed out by Hernandez (2005, p. 129) as something that was bequeathed by the past or something that one wants to preserve.

Producing heritage refers to converting it into heritage or building it from certain preexisting elements, selected from others that are excluded from this process.

One of the ways to keep a gastronomic culture alive is to transform it into local and national heritage.

The phenomenon of the patrimonialization of national and regional cuisines often involves the reconstruction, reinvention and valorization of these, generally also as a result of a specific socioeconomic and historical context.

According to UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage can be defined as the patrimonial manifestation of the intangible portion of the cultural heritage of peoples, including traditions, folklore, languages, festivals and other manifestations, citing gastronomy as part of these assets.

In this way, food, being an important factor in the identification of a society, can be considered Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The overvaluation of popular tradition opposes, in a certain way, the development of food industrialization and the risks of diluting local and national identities in globalization.

Also according to this author, the contemporary patrimonialization of food is part of the vast movement that makes the notion of heritage move from the private to the public sphere, from the economic to the cultural, and is also a sign of other transformations in social representations.

This transition extends the notion of heritage from the material to the intangible, which encompasses everyday and popular practices.

At the same time, local food cultures are called gastronomy and we now speak of regional gastronomic heritage.

Gastronomy can be considered intangible (immaterial) heritage, as it promotes art, knowledge, tradition in an abstract way and is directly linked to the identity of a people.

Preservation of intangible cultural heritage

Among the current contributions to this discussion regarding the preservation of Cultural Heritage in the area of gastronomy, we can mention, in Brazil, IPHAN (National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage), currently a federal agency linked to the Ministry of Culture, created by Law No. 378, of January 13, 1937.

The area of IPHAN that discusses issues concerning Intangible Heritage is the National Center for Folklore and Popular Culture, directed by the Department of Intangible Heritage.

IPHAN has a very diverse universe of cultural assets of a tangible and intangible nature, and to identify, map and preserve them, IPHAN has very specific instruments, one of which is the National Inventory of Cultural References (INRC).

In order for an intangible cultural asset to be registered, certain requirements must be met, including the presentation of a formal statement of consent to the registration process by the community involved when requesting the process to begin, in addition to completing the inventory and analysis steps carried out by IPHAN's technical staff.

Among the gastronomic assets (dishes and products) already registered by IPHAN and included in national cultural systems are: the craft of the Baianas de Acarajé (Bahia), the artisanal method of making Minas cheese in the regions of Serro and the Canastra and Salitre mountains, and the craft of the Paneleiras de Goiabeiras (Espírito Santo), among others.

The knowledge generated during the inventory processes using the INRC methodology and IPHAN Registration made it possible to identify the most appropriate forms of safeguarding plans. These forms ranged from financial aid to holders of specific knowledge with a view to its transmission, to, for example, community organization or facilitating access to raw materials.

The emergence of records of regional cuisines in the form of typical foods that identify a location is still very timid, being conditioned to cultural manifestations of systems of national unity, not giving space to those that are part of a small, but no less important, context.

Sena (2008), reflecting on the attribution of values in practices of preservation of cultural heritage, questions how to deal with assets that are not consecrated by IPHAN.

Preservation of traditional products in the European Union

Some relevant contributions in this area of cultural preservation can be found in the European Union.

There are certifications of both geographical indication, which delimit territorialities, and of a purely procedural nature that aim to comply with the cultural aspects in force in the place of origin of the certification, without necessarily limiting the production of the good to the place of origin.

It is worth noting that Brazil does not have official certifications that cover this type of criterion, given that there is no requirement for total or partial production exclusive to the indicated region.

The INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property) works with Geographical Indication seals, namely the Indication of Origin and Denomination of Origin seals.

Both require that the production of the good be carried out either partially or totally in the certified location for their reproduction.

In the case of the European Union, the ETG seal allows the reproduction of certain gastronomic specialties throughout the European Union (Member States), as long as it is in accordance with the production process at the origin (historical-cultural basis), observing the preparation techniques, ingredients and the name linked to the local culture.