Ethnogastronomy: A brief exploratory review

Abstract

The increase in the interest in gastronomy indicates research' possibilities that consider food as a central theme, exploring cultures and traditions. In this sense, symbolic aspects, tastes, habits, rules, taboos and rituals point out that eating is more widespread than just the nutritional interest. Ethnoscience studies the human population’s knowledge, encompassing several fields like ethnogastronomy. This field interests itself in ethnographic investigations in order to document and value the knowledge, wisdom and eating habits of the traditional peoples and, likewise, to positively appreciate their know-how, integrating with the traditions, protecting their culture and cooperating with the preservation of the environment. In these terms, bibliographical research was performed on Scielo, Google Scholar and Brazilian Digital Library for Theses and Dissertations, platforms looking for the following items: “ethnogastronomy”, “traditional peoples” and “food culture”. Eight works were selected that show the act of eating and more complex and broad factors like the cultivation, harvesting, cooking, presentation and serving of the food. It is essential the power of tradition ahead of the preparation of “caiçaras recipes” and that Campesinos protect the important bicultural patrimony, with knowledge of practices of agroecological basis and gastronomic culture. However, we observed that few were the works found, indicating a shortfall of research in these areas, besides showing the necessity of bigger studies, registers and valorisation of traditional eating habits, as well as its social relevance both in terms of feeding sovereignty and the preservation of the environment.