Enchanting restaurants: innovation based on traditional food in Belém (Pará, Brazil)

Abstract

The city of Belém, capital of the state of Pará (PA), located in northern Brazil, was recognized in 2015 as a Creative City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This recognition is due to the richness of the intangible cultural heritage of the cuisine of Pará, based on traditional and indigenous ways of making, allied to African and European knowledge. At the same time, participation in the Creative Cities Network presupposes cooperation between member cities, where city planning, creativity, sustainability and the encouragement of a socially fairer society are the principles that guide each one of them. In this sense, the objective of the article is to think about the act of enchantment, based on the communicative process, that restaurants promote in their customers, particularly in the city of Belém. In methodological terms, it is a qualitative and dialectical research that seeks to question and deepen knowledge, based on data collected in field research during participant observation. To conclude, we understand that the taste and mastery of traditional Pará cuisine can be restrictive as a tourist offer given the use of local products, unknown to the general public. Thus, gourmetization, the preparation of new dishes with known products and international dishes seek to complement this gastronomic offer.. However, the enchantment is not only produced from the food itself, but also from the referents and channels used by the different restaurants.