Food and Culture: An Anthropological Analysis

Abstract

Food is considered as one of the most important foundations of life for all living organisms along with water and air. It satisfies the physiological need of the body and also act as a major component in maintaining the health and well-being of an individual. Apart from its nutritional value, food is said to be one of the significant cultural traits that reflects the identity and the nature of people in a society. To provide evidence to the previous claim, this article intends to shed light on the relationship between food and culture by exploring the role of food in a society and its interaction with other socio-cultural institutions. In addition to that, this article also tried to describe, how the changes in food preferences can in turn affect the socio-cultural institutions in longer-run. Keywords: Culture, Food, Institutions, Taboo.