Gaztronomy: cuisine and modernity in 1930s Lisbon

Abstract

ABSTRACT The progressive electrification of kitchens that still place gas cookers center stage raises important questions about the relationship between energy, technology, and culinary practices that emphasize the relevance of more deeply understanding past transitions. This research explores material culture and culinary technology, examining the link between culinary practices and the shift to gas usage in Lisbon households during the 1930s. Seeking to understand this Gaztronomy, we analyzed the programs and recipes from the cooking courses sponsored by the main Lisbon gas utility company during the period 1931–1939, considering aspects such as the stages in the energy transition, diffusion of gas stoves and the characteristics of Portuguese culinary literature. The nearly four hundred recipes presented in the cooking lessons featured in these materials highlight the association between the cosmopolitan nature of the proposed selection and the modernity of gas cooking, leading to an attempt to understand the role of this “modern energy” as an inducer of new culinary practices in the domestic and family sphere. Culinary expertise proved to be an appealing and powerful tool for overcoming resistance to change and consumer anxieties over adopting a new fuel, indeed, as observed by the main Lisbon supplier at that time.