Christmas tamales in Costa Rica (1900-1930)

Abstract

The eating habits of any social group are deeply dependent upon the environment (what it can produce), methods and manners of distribution, the availability of technology (necessary for production), cultural and symbolic factors, and the cultivation of existing resources. In other words, culinary cultures stem from such factors as the nature of ingredients as much as from beliefs and practices (Pilcher 2006, 2). The meaning of food can differ according to socioeconomic group, age, and even gender, and eating habits help to define such aspects of self as ethnic identity or religious devotion. Religions in particular affect eating customs and regulate consumption through ideals of asceticism and conviviality. Meals, in addition to their nutritional value, have a cultural value, which indicates how they are understood by consumers; each society assigns a code of meaning that is shared by the community (Gonzalbo 2006, 217-218). This code typically includes not only the time when meals are eaten but also what is consumed for each of them, the method in which they are prepared, the rituals at the table, and the company of guests.