Abstract
The present study examines the heritagization processes associated with pumpkin seed oil, a product typical of the Slovenian-Hungarian borderland, that have evolved since the 2000s in a settlement in the Őrség region of Hungary and a settlement in the Slovenian region of Goričko. The study explores how innovations — in our case, the introduction and spread of new varieties of pumpkin — have transformed seed oil processing technologies, and the impact that this transformation has had on the culture of the local communities. Both examples can be regarded as success stories in their own way, since the examined communities can be said to have taken ownership of, and “appropriated,” this aspect of their traditional culture in advance of other settlements in the same region by connecting and binding it to their own locality. Today, there can be no doubt that these two settlements have “earned the right” to be permanent representatives of this unique cultural heritage and to exploit the opportunities it offers.
Highlights
TO THE RESEARCHSince the production and consumption of pumpkin seed oil is peculiar to the southwestern region of Hungary, the most detailed ethnographical descriptions originate from this area
The present study examines the heritagization processes associated with pumpkin seed oil, a product typical of the Slovenian-Hungarian borderland, that have evolved since the 2000s in a settlement in the Őrség region of Hungary and a settlement in the Slovenian region of Goričko
The present study examines the heritagization processes associated with pumpkin seed oil, a product typical of the Slovenian-Hungarian borderland, that have evolved since the 2000s in a settlement in the Őrség region of Hungary and a settlement in the Slovenian Goričko region
Summary
Since the production and consumption of pumpkin seed oil is peculiar to the southwestern region of Hungary, the most detailed ethnographical descriptions originate from this area. Using the example of the settlement of Szalafő in the Őrség region, he demonstrated the important role played by this plant in the agriculture and alimentation of the local population, and how peasant households endeavored to utilize it in a wide variety of ways (Pável 1949:139–154) In his monograph on popular nutrition in the Őrség region, László Kardos included a detailed description of foods made using pumpkin seed oil that were consumed in this geographical area, and which were essential elements of the food culture (Kardos 1943:267). In the course of her research, she has highlighted how this agricultural product is gaining significance in terms of the strengthening and expression of ethnic and regional identities and the development of tourism This statement is true with respect to the Slovenian-nationality villages in Rábavidék (Slovensko Porabje), where pumpkin seed oil, both its production and its consumption, is regarded as one of the principal manifestations of their unique culture and traditions (Godina 2017:384). Festivals can be understood as the setting for practices associated with cultural heritage, where the “utilitarian interpretation” of local traditions, the canonization and branding of cultural elements, and, heritagization take place.
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