Relations between gastronomy and the City

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the framework for analysing the relationship between gastronomy and urban space, notably from the historical perspective. It begins by defining the role of gastronomy in the premodern period, i.e. before the industrial revolution, and identifies four of the largest concentrations of taverns, inns, pubs, etc. found in cities prior to the eighteenth century. It then explores gastronomy and urban space in the modern period, especially the influence of the capitalist economy, new colonial conquests, the development of science and the introduction of new technologies, which took place mainly in the nineteenth century. The remainder of the chapter focuses on an analysis of gastronomy in the postmodern period (called also post-industrial; Pacione 2005), which starts in middle of the twentieth century. Drawing on a number of examples, it proposes models of the main concentrations of gastronomy found in the inner city, in the outer city, in the suburbs and in tourist cities. It highlights that although the functions performed by gastronomy are largely independent of the historical period, their role in the urban space has changed as the restaurant sector has become increasingly important in the context of the overall economy of a city.