Culinary Preferences Research Articles

Understanding Who is Having a Taste(off) Nigeria

Events and festivals, especially those focused on food, showcase the many nuances within a culture and can be seen to be an effective medium to transfer cultural identity or tradition. Cultural phenomena such as food festivals are integral to cultural immersion, especially in multicultural/multiethnic societies such as Nigeria. Emphasizing the importance of investigating the culinary festival market in Nigeria, TasteOff is an example in a developing country that identifies the market segments based on a multisegmentation approach that includes (i) travel motives, (ii) the important "festivalscape" factors, and (iii) future culinary event preferences. This research contributes dually to (i) a better understanding of culinary tourism in Africa, especially since much attention is placed on the South African scenario, and (ii) the needs and preferences of Africa's largest economy, Nigeria.

DEVELOPMENT OF FOOD TOURISM PERSPECTIVES IN UKRAINE

Topicality. The development of domestic tourism is relevant today around the world, and Ukraine is no exception. One of the domestic tourism types for the country can be food tourism, which is still unequally developed within tourist destinations. Aim and tasks � to assess the condition of food tourism development in Ukraine and to outline the prospects for its further development on the basis of the European experience. Research results. A promising area of tourist services market development is food tourism - a specialized type of tourism, focused on learning about the history, technology and culture of national dishes and products consumption, as well as training and professional development in cooking. Trends in the modern tourism market show a growing interest among consumers in these types of travel. According to the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), most tourists mark the food aspect as the main reason for visiting a country, and argue that the gastronomic features of the country are one of the three main reasons in determining the place of tourist travel. Wine tours in Zakarpattia, Odessa, Kherson and Mykolayiv regions are gaining the most popularity in Ukraine among the actively demanded directions of tourist and gastronomic activity. Deep cultural traditions, in particular in food, for which Ukraine is famous, create preconditions for the formation of numerous interesting gastronomic tours for both domestic and foreign tourists. Conclusion. Current trends in the development of food tourism in Ukraine indicate its significant potential and opportunities for professional development, because now this area of tourism is engaged in a limited number of tourism companies; Most trips are organized to Lviv, Zakarpattia and Poltava regions, where there are strong national traditions, the formation of their own gastronomic brands and geographical indications, a strong authentic culture and specific culinary preferences. The combinatorial capabilities of gastronomic tourism, which are actively used in European practice, open its perspectives in the domestic tourism sector, in particular, increasing employment of local people and strengthening the competitiveness of agro-industrial, recreational and agricultural regions and multinational areas of our country.

Preliminary results on content analysis of Early Bronze Age vessels from the site of Castelluccio, Noto, Sicily

The study of vessel content can reveal important information about the dietary and culinary preferences of ancient communities. In this preliminary study, we analysed the absorbed lipid content of ten vessels from the settlement of Castelluccio in Sicily, dating to the Early Bronze Age (EBA). The vessels tested included a small selection of ceramic forms typically found in Bronze Age sites in Sicily, namely fine drinking wares and coarse ware vessels thought to have been used in food preparation and/or storage. All of the vessels tested were recovered from Hut 8. ORA results of this pilot project revealed challenging lipid preservation conditions known to occur in the Mediterranean region. Lipid analysis showed a possible animal contribution, although a plant input could not be excluded. Wine was not identified in the vessels tested.

Yi Ethnomycology: Wild Mushroom Knowledge and Use in Yunnan, China

Local ethnobiological knowledge offers critical insights into ecological processes, species diversity, and abundance, as well as changes in environmental conditions. Although ethnomycological knowledge remains understudied compared to local knowledge about plants and animals, wild fungi are important components of healthy, functioning ecosystems. Wild fungi are also integral to many social and economic systems. Yunnan Province, China, is home to both a wide diversity of wild edible mushrooms and extensive human-fungi relationships. Understanding local ecological and mycological knowledge is critical for conserving ecological systems and promoting sustainable livelihoods. This study investigates indigenous Yi ethnomycological knowledge in four communities in Nanhua County using both interviews and harvesting observations. The comparative merits and limitations of each method are assessed. Around 90 unique, named folk species were reported or observed in the study communities, with 54 species reported multiple times. Local mushroom names encode information about local ecology, species morphology, and abstract metaphorical ideas. In addition, harvesters variably referred to mushrooms in Yi, Mandarin, or with general descriptive categories, suggesting a link between species use, value, and naming conventions. This study found that directly observing mushroom harvests captured more detailed knowledge compared to recall-based interviews, including both a greater number of species and a more nuanced, multi-leveled taxonomic system. However, interviews revealed the cultural salience, economic values, and culinary preferences for many local mushroom species. These results highlight the importance of mixed-methods approaches to ethnoecological knowledge, as both recall and observational data may lead to different conclusions about local species abundance and diversity.

Waxy allele diversification in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) landraces of Taiwan.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.), the second most cultivated millet species, is well adapted to diverse environments and remains an important cereal food and forage crop in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. A symbolic crop for indigenous Austronesian peoples, foxtail millet has been cultivated in Taiwan for more than 5,000 years, and landraces reflect diversifying selection for various food applications. A total of 124 accessions collected within Taiwan were assessed for Wx genotypes. Four identified Wx alleles, I, III, IV, and IX were caused by insertion of various transposable elements (TEs) and resulted in endosperm with non-waxy, low amylose content (AC), and waxy, respectively. A total of 16.9%, 4.0%, 49.2%, and 29.8% of accessions were classified as type I, III, IV, and IX, respectively; approximately half of the accessions belonged to the waxy type, indicating that glutinous grains were favored for making traditional food and wine. The TE insertion affected splicing efficiency rather than accuracy, leading to significantly reduced expression of wx in types III, IV, and IX, although their transcripts were the same as wild-type, type I. Consequently, the granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) contents of the three mutated genotypes were relatively low, leading to waxy or low AC endosperm, and the Wx genotypes could explain 78% of variance in AC. The geographic distribution of Wx genotypes are associated with culinary preferences and migration routes of Taiwanese indigenous peoples—in particular, the genotype of landraces collected from Orchid Island was distinct from those from Taiwan Island. This information on the major gene regulating starch biosynthesis in foxtail millet endosperm can be applied to breeding programs for grain quality, and contributes to knowledge of Austronesian cultures.

The allure of variety: Eating out in three English cities, 2015

This paper examines social differentiation of tastes for meals out of the home in contemporary Britain. It reports results from a study of eating out based on a survey and interviews in London, Preston and Bristol in 2015. It focuses on the breadth of exposure to variety of restaurant cuisine styles in order to address debates about distinction, cultural omnivorousness and cosmopolitanism. The paper uses regression analysis of survey results to reveal social differentiation, with special reference to the effects of gender, age, ethnicity and class on culinary taste. The data reveal the social and symbolic significance of variety of experience in visits to commercial venues for meals and degrees of familiarity with diverse cuisines. The data show a consistent relationship between higher socio-economic position, frequency of eating out, and the experiencing of a wide variety of cuisines. Culinary preferences cluster into three bundles: popular, uncommon and exclusive. Significant social characteristics of their bearers include age, class trajectory, education and ethnic identification. Tendencies associated with cultural omnivorousness can be observed among the professional and managerial middle class. While it is important not to conflate internal goods deriving from enthusiastic engagement in this particular cultural field with achievement of social advantage, culinary tastes are a mark of social distinction. Diverse culinary experience of variety is a prerequisite for full membership of the professional and managerial class.

Cookery Books of the Early 20th Century as a Source for Studying Ukrainian Gastronomic Traditions

The article is based on cookbooks popular at the start of the 20th century and follows on culinary trends, food preferences, and hygiene practices. The study engages in the discussion of culinary books by Osypa Zaklynska, Vira Yashchynska, Olha Franko, and Zynoviia Klynovetska. Comprehensive analysis of these culinary works helps identify dishes popular as in the city so in the rural areas. The article also studies now obsolete practices including cooking meat of wild animals. It identifies and uses regional names for currently rare types of fish, which prevailed in a standard diet of the early 20th century. The general commentary provided by the authors of the books and their practical advice helped investigate culinary trends and manners prevalent at the dawn of the 20th century. Detailed study of food recipes facilitated the analysis of daily nutritional requirements, as well as issues associated with identifying and recognizing food of poor quality. The article also touches on the history of culinary preferences in Ukraine and development of culinary terminology. The article pays special attention to analyzing cooking utensils terminology which is now obsolete or has only regional use. It focuses on the most popular ways to cook food in the early 20th century, as well as new methods brought on by new available technologies. The article explains the reasons behind popularity of a number of non-alcoholic drinks, including coffee. It also touches on the available biographical information related to the culinary book authors. The article raises questions of women’s responsibility for selecting and buying products, their assortment, quality and quantity; cooking for festive and everyday occasions; decorating and serving dishes, as well as availability and serviceability of kitchen utensils. Attention is also paid to representations about hygiene of kitchen appliances, storage of food products.

The importance of different culinary aspects when travelling - the case of international tourists to South Africa

Tourists spend a good portion of their travel budget on food and beverages. Culinary preference knowledge should thus be important to numerous stakeholders. Little is, however, known about the determinants of culinary preferences of international tourists. Furthermore, in the context of developing countries, very little has been published about cuisine in tourism. The purpose of this research is to identify the determinants of culinary preferences of international tourists to South Africa. A newly developed questionnaire based on literature was completed by 627 international tourists. Five culinary preference factors were identified from the results of the study, namely social influence, culture and religion, exploration, the culinary experience and environmental sensitivity. Social influence was the most important factor, followed by environmental sensitivity and then the culinary experience. Only two socio-demographic variables were found to influence the culinary preferences of international tourists to South Africa. Implications for each of the findings are put forth. Specific recommendations are also made to national and provincial government, tourism marketers and dining establishments alike, in order to reap the numerous benefits associated with culinary preference knowledge.

Letter from the Editors

Letter from the Editors

Glycemic Responses, Glycemic Index, and Glycemic Load Values of Some Street Foods Prepared from Plantain (Musa spp., AAB Genome) in Côte d'Ivoire.

The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of four culinary preferences including five local street dishes prepared from three varieties of plantain at different maturity stages was determined. The GI was obtained following ISO/FDI 26642:2010 protocol, and the GL was calculated from test foods’ GI, considering the amount of available carbohydrate in the traditional portion size. GI values were 44 for Klaclo (with Ameletiha variety at all black stage), 39 for Aloco (with Agnrin variety at full yellow stage), 39 for Aloco (with Agnrin variety at full yellow with black spots stage); 45 for Chips (with Ameletiha variety at green stage) and 89 for Banane braisée (with Afoto variety at light green stage). GI values were inversely correlated with the total sugar and carbohydrate in foods (p < 0.01), and no relationship existed between the GI values and the amount of protein (p = 0.89). Except for Chips (GL = 12), the GLs of the others foods were high (GL > 20). Contrary to Banane braisée, the consumption of Klaclo, Aloco, and Chips may promote the control of postprandial glucose response. Data provides the first GI published values of plantain-based foods commonly consumed in the urban area of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire).

Contribution of Nutrient Diversity and Food Perceptions to Food and Nutrition Security Among Smallholder Farming Households in Western Kenya: A Case Study.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where hunger is prevalent in over one-third of the population, with smallholder farming households, producers of over 80% of Africa's food, facing both calorie and micronutrient deficiencies. With agricultural systems serving as the main source of all nutrients, little is known about the extent to which agricultural diversity in different seasons can meet macro- and micronutrient needs in rural Africa. Linkages between nutrient diversity and food species were investigated. A case study was conducted in Western Kenya to assess the seasonal nutrient diversity, seasonal nutrient accessibility levels, and food perceptions in 30 smallholder farms, 7 markets, and among 97 focus group discussion participants, respectively. All present food plant and animal species were inventoried and assigned to 1 of the 7 major Food and Agriculture Organization-defined food groups. Based on 2 macronutrients and 5 micronutrients, dendrogram-based nutrient functional diversity metrics were calculated. On-farm and market food species offered all 7 macro- and micronutrients under investigation, regardless of seasonal variation in species numbers. Although there were varying seasonal nutrient accessibility levels in markets, farms were especially effective in readily availing 4 of the 7 nutrients. However, the main food shortage months coincided only with maize shortage, but a diversity of local foods, deemed to be of low cultural and culinary preferences, were available. Nutrition education on the importance of a diversity of local foods in meeting dietary needs, thus stimulating the demand side, can contribute to achieving year-round household food security.

Challenging Current Knowledge on Amazonian Dark Earths: Indigenous Manioc Cultivation on Different Soils of the Colombian Amazon

AbstractAmazonian indigenous people grow manioc in landscapes of different agricultural potential, yet studies on indigenous manioc production on fertile soils are scarce. Non‐indigenous communities grow specific manioc landraces on fertile Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), but it is unknown whether indigenous farmers also do so. During 2 years, we studied manioc cultivation by five indigenous groups on different Amazonian soils using quantitative and qualitative methods. We found that environmental conditions, including soil quality, are less important in determining manioc diversity and agricultural strategies than socioeconomic and socio‐cultural factors such as labor availability, labor organization, and culinary preferences.

TheTaste Remembered. On the Extraordinary Testimony of the Women from Terezín

The article presents an attempt to combine food studies (also termed the anthropology of food) with scholarly reflection regarding memory. The analysis focuses on the book entitled In Memory’s Kitchen. A Legacy from the Women of Terezin [ed. Cara de Silva 2006], containing recipes for Jewish dishes written down by women from the Teresienstadt ghetto. But some dozen recipes that have survived do not make it a cookbook, which is essentially meant to be functional. It is more of a remembrance, a testament, and also a source of knowledge of culture at a given point in time. It is also a testimonial document. Recipes collected by de Silva tell much about their authors. They define their roles as wives and mothers. In addition, the Terezin notes point to a culinary heritage, the religious principles of food preparation and the social and economical conditions that shaped the culinary preferences and the diets of women locked in the ghetto. The article demonstrates that the actions of preparing and consuming food are a constantly repeated practice, which is connected in a network of relationships with other practices. This practice it is anchored in the everyday life, embedded in the family’s biography and fused with childhood memories. Food is presented as a sign of identity, the social bond and the community of family and friends, and also as a gift that serves to uphold these ties.

It is Hard to Swim Upstream: Dietary Acculturation Among Mexican-Origin Children.

Health and immigration researchers often implicate dietary acculturation in explanations of Mexican children of immigrants' weight gain after moving to the U.S., but rarely explore how diet is shaped by immigrants' structural incorporation. We used data from the 1999/00-2009/10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess how indicators of Mexican-origin children's acculturation and structural incorporation influence two outcomes: how healthy and how "Americanized" children's diets are. Indicators of acculturation were strongly associated with more Americanized and less healthy diets. However, structural incorporation indicators were mostly unrelated to diet outcomes net of acculturation. An exception was that parental education was positively associated with consuming a healthy diet. Finally, children of natives consumed more Americanized, unhealthy diets than children of immigrants and these differences were largely explained by differences in the acculturation. Children of natives would have consumed an even less healthy diet were it not for their higher levels of parental education. Overall, the results suggest that the process of adapting to the U.S. life style is associated with the loss of cultural culinary preferences and less healthy eating behaviors despite improvements in socioeconomic status.

Culinary preferences of foreign tourists in India

Realizing the growing importance of culinary tourism, the present study explores culinary preferences of foreign tourists through surveys conducted at various tourist spots in India. In order to identify latent factors beneath, data related to preferences were factor analyzed. The outcome of the analysis suggests that tourists’ preferences converge into five factors, namely, taste and quality of food, food preparation, localization of food and dining etiquettes, tradition and nutrition of food, and food aroma and cleanliness. Furthermore, convergence in foreign tourists was also explored based on their responses. From the analysis, three segments emerged, namely, taste seekers, localization seekers and experience seekers. The study also discusses the implications of the outcome for marketers and researchers.

The Content of Fluoride, Calcium and Magnesium in the Hair of Young Men of the Bantu Language Group from Tanzania Versus Social Conditioning

The present study aimed at analysing the content of fluorine (F), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the hair of young male students (n = 52) of a secondary school in Mafinga in Tanzania (Africa) who participated in anthropological examinations. Ca and Mg concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer while F levels using a potentiometric method. F in the hair of boys from older group (≥16 years old; n = 24) was significantly higher than in the younger group (<16 years old; n = 28) versus Ca and Mg levels. High carbohydrate diet was predominant—mainly based on corn or bean and meat served once a week, with few fruit and raw vegetables. Collective catering in the dormitory reflected habits and culinary preferences at home. The lack of balanced diet, with majority of the nutritional energy supplied by easily accessible and cheap carbohydrates, was reflected in dietary deficiencies, characterised, among others, by visible skin conditions and tooth decay.

Cooking up a culinary identity for Belgium. Gastrolinguistics in two Belgian cookbooks (19th century)

The notion of cookbooks as socio-historic markers in a society is generally accepted within food studies. As both representations and prescriptions of food practices, perceived habits and attitudes towards food, they represent a certain identity for their readers. This paper investigates the nature of the identity that Belgian cookbooks constructed through their rhetoric. An important part of this study is to explore how and to what extent explicit reference to Belgium was made. To this end recipe titles/labels and recipe comments used in two leading bourgeois cookbooks from nineteenth-century Belgium were subjected to a quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The analysis showed that clear attention was paid to national culinary preferences. In terms of a domestic culinary corpus, it became apparent that both the Dutch and French editions of these cookbooks promoted dishes that were ascribed a Belgian origin. Internationality, however, was also an important building block of Belgian culinary identity. It was part of the desire of Belgian bourgeoisie to connect with an international elite. It fit into the ‘search for sophistication’, which was also expressed through the high representation of the more costly meats and sweet dishes.In addition, other references associated with bourgeois norms and values, such as family, convenience and frugality, were additional building blocks of Belgian culinary identity. Other issues such as tradition, innovation and health, were also matters of concerns to these Belgian cookbooks.

Mycophilic or Mycophobic? Legislation and Guidelines on Wild Mushroom Commerce Reveal Different Consumption Behaviour in European Countries

Mycophiles forage for and pick vast quantities of a wide variety of wild mushroom species. As a result, mushroom intoxications are comparatively frequent in such countries with mycophiles. Thus, national governments are forced to release guidelines or enact legislation in order to ensure the safe commerce of wild mushrooms due to food safety concerns. It is in these guidelines and laws that one can observe whether a country is indeed mycophobic or mycophilic. Furthermore, these laws and guidelines provide valuable information on mushroom preferences and on the consumption habits of each country. As such we were interested in the questions as to whether mushroom consumption behaviour was different within Europe, and if it was possible to discover the typical or distinctive culinary preferences of Slavic or Romanic speaking people, people from special geographical regions or from different zones. This work is based on the analysis of edible mushroom lists available in specific guidelines or legislation related to the consumption and commerce of mushrooms in 27 European countries. The overall diversity of edible mushrooms authorised to be commercialised in Europe is very high. However, only 60 out of a total 268 fungal species can be cultivated. This highlights the importance of guidelines or legislation for the safe commerce of wild mushrooms. The species richness and composition of the mushrooms listed for commerce is very heterogeneous within Europe. The consumption behaviour is not only language-family-related, but is strongly influenced by geographical location and neighbouring countries. Indicator species were detected for different European regions; most of them are widespread fungi, and thus prove culture-specific preferences for these mushrooms. Our results highlight tradition and external input such as trade and cultural exchange as strong factors shaping mushroom consumption behaviour.

Feeding Race

Despite dating back to early America, eating contests have received little if any academic attention. The following socio-historical study seeks to rectify some of this ongoing neglect by investigating what I call the “racial eating contest,” a popular mode of entertainment that proliferated around the turn of the twentieth century. During this era, whites often used their relative power to organize gorging competitions between blacks as a source of “light entertainment” in diverse social situations. The pervasive media descriptions of these matches highlighted the supposed natural distinctions between blacks and whites' bodily makeup, eating styles, appetites and culinary preferences. By applying Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital and Frantz Fanon's notion of the racializing gaze to questions relating to food, domination, race and the body, I argue that these contests constituted specialized sites in which powerful white actors sought to delineate group boundaries along racial lines as part of a broader remapping of power structures during the postReconstruction era. Their capacity to do so rested in great part on blacks' varying abilities to effectively oppose, resist or subvert these competitions.

“Fulfillment of a collective dream”: Culinary pilgrimage to Russian–Jewish New York

Since the early 1990s a new wave of Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union has dramatically reshaped the gastronomic landscapes of many New York neighborhoods, most notably Brighton Beach, Rego Park, Washington Heights, Flatbush and Ocean Parkway. A new culinary infrastructure has emerged to support the culinary preferences and practices of these communities in homes, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, nightclubs and catering halls. Alongside this new culinary infrastructure, a new culinary practice, that of culinary pilgrimage to the food worlds of Russian Jewish New York has emerged among New Yorkers and visitors to New York, many but by no means all of whom are Jewish. Culinary pilgrims visit restaurants and nightclubs, come shopping for items unavailable elsewhere, and take part in one or more of the rapidly multiplying culinary walking tours that offer what historian (and tour guide) Seth Kamil calls “micro-histories” of New York's Russian–Jewish neighborhoods. These visitors are seeking more than just a good meal. Folklorist Lucy Long has found that culinary pilgrims seek a deeper and more personal understanding of foodways that are in some way more authentic than those of their everyday lives. Within the Jewish context, the cuisines of the former Soviet Union evoke both a places and times of heightened significance. This is the case when a young Russian journalist suggests that certain restaurants can provide “the fulfillment of a collective dream”.