ABSTRACT
In saying “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are” Brillat-Savarin (2009, 15) presents the idea that there is a difference between how what you eat becomes what you are physiologically and how it constructs who you are socio-culturally. In the eyes of gastronomers such as Brillat-Savarin, food is not just nutritional sustenance. Rather, food is central to our sense of individual and collective cultural identity. The articulation of cultural identity through food is what is referred to as ‘cuisine’. Cuisine, as opposed to food, is a key characteristic that differentiates people from animals and is what makes us human. Cuisine, by definition, is a particular style of food preparation characteristic of a region. Its meaning and significance, however, is far deeper than this simplistic definition suggests. Cuisine is the outcome of a region’s history, products/ingredients, and the social norms and customs of the group that dictate the way in which food is prepared and consumed. This manifestation of cooking and eating is referred to as culinary culture (Santich 2013). As such, cuisine is imbued with social and cultural capital. Symbolically, we consume cultural identity through what we choose or do not choose to eat and drink, expressed within constructs of self. Consequently, food is symbolic of cultural politics and identity.
