Food Culture Research Articles

Tasting local history

This article discusses how museums can disseminate the cultural history of food by cooking, tasting, and sharing meals. The article builds on vast data from a food culture project (SPIS Ma/eD) conducted in Lolland-Falster, the southeastern part of Denmark, between 2020 and 2023. The analysis centres on three key findings: the social aspect of sharing experiences and meals, the dialogical dissemination of cultural food history, and sensory engagement through cooking and tasting. The article concludes that cooking and dining together with other museum visitors enriches the museum experience and transforms it into a highly sensory and social event that links history to the present everyday life of the participants. The SPIS Ma/eD project also demonstrates the value of integrating food culture into the communication and dissemination practices of museums. This integrated approach to the local community, educational institutions, and innovative events has created a model that may inspire other museums.

Food emulsifiers aggravate inflammation and oxidative stress induced by food contaminants in zebrafish

Food emulsifiers like glycerol monostearate (G) and Tween 80 (TW) are commonly used to help formation and maintain stability of emulsions. However, certain food contaminants and emulsifiers often co-occur in the same food item due to food culture and cooking methods. For this reason, the present study investigated interaction of toxic effect of emulsifiers (G and TW) and process contaminants (acrylamide (AA) and benzo [a]pyrene (BAP)) on zebrafish. Adult zebrafish were exposed to emulsifiers, food contaminants, or the combination through diet for 2 h and 7 days. Oxidative stress and inflammation caused by food contaminants were increased when food emulsifiers were present. These combined treatments also induced more severe morphological changes than the contaminant alone treatments. In the gut, disruption of villi structure and increased number of goblet cells was observed and in the liver there were increased lipid deposition, infiltration of immune cells, glycogen depletion and focal necrosis. Increased accumulation of AA and BAP in the liver and gut were detected after addition of emulsifiers, suggesting that emulsifiers can enhance absorption of diet-borne contaminants. Our results showed food emulsifiers and contaminants can interact synergistically and increase risk.

From tradition to technology: A comprehensive review of contemporary food design

Food design has long served as a means for restaurants to cater to the dietary preferences of their clientele. These designs, rooted in practicality, initially bear specific intentions from their creators, effectively acting as conduits through which chefs communicate messages to discerning palates. This comprehensive review aims to provide a meticulous exploration of the current landscape of food design, encompassing its connections to food culture and the multifaceted manifestations of processed food in terms of shapes, colors, and textures. The data draws from a substantial pool of 175 previous research articles, predominantly prioritizing high-quality sources to bolster the overall rigor of the review. Systematic organization of the literature was facilitated through Mendeley, with content analysis conducted via NVivo, and the integration of Sankey Diagrams to visualize data representation. This review unveils a compelling trend in the proliferation of food designs featuring 3D printing technology, marking a promising step forward in culinary innovation, with an increasing emphasis on the integration of artificial intelligence. This synthesis bridges the realms of food design and culinary aesthetics, forging new connections between established concepts and the latest frontiers in scientific inquiry. As the culinary world continues to evolve, this review positions itself as a significant literature contribution, offering valuable insights into the future of food design.

Air fryer: reflections on working class objects of desire and changing food culture

Air fryer: reflections on working class objects of desire and changing food culture

Food and ethnographies of folk life: applying a theory of food as intangible cultural heritage to Passing the Time in Ballymenone

ABSTRACT Henry Glassie’s Passing the Time in Ballymenone – Culture and History of an Ulster Community (1982) is a touchstone text in anthropological, folklore, material culture, and ethnographic scholarship in Irish Studies and beyond. In spite of its numerous references to agriculture, cooking, and eating, it remains underexplored with respect to its capture of aspects of twentieth century foodways on the island of Ireland. This essay argues that Glassie’s text (and ethnographies of folklife more broadly) provides rich material for understanding how vernacular food culture comprises intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO (Mac Con Iomaire, 2018).

Sun-Dried Fish: Bridging Food Science and Cultural Significance of Traditional Knowledge

Sun-Dried Fish: Bridging Food Science and Cultural Significance of Traditional Knowledge

Exploring English Translation of Chinese Dish Names from a Cross-Cultural Communication Perspective

As Chinese food culture gains popularity, the English translation of its dishes has garnered increasing interest. The menu not only highlights the cuisine but also reflects Chinese aesthetics and culture. This paper analyzes dish name translations, highlighting the major issues in current translations, such as machine translation, grammatical errors, and improper wording. It then refines these translations and identifies three key principles for dish name translation: semantic proximity, cultural communication and aesthetics. Studying dish name translations enhances Chinese food culture, fosters Sino-Western exchanges, and propagates Chinese cuisine globally.

Development of the Ajinomoto Group Nutrient Profiling System for Meals of the Japanese Food Culture

Development of the Ajinomoto Group Nutrient Profiling System for Meals of the Japanese Food Culture

Lexico-semantic features of metaphors in Russian and Chinese food culture on the example of the word "bread"

Lexico-semantic features of metaphors in Russian and Chinese food culture on the example of the word "bread"

Ice Cream In Sensory Experiences (Based On English)

Olfactory, gustatory and tactile modalities are turning into a steady trend of multidisciplinary research. The investigation of these modalities in world languages might reveal language universals and lacunas, contribute to studies of synesthesia in cognition and communication, entail compiling sensorial glossaries. Packaging of gustatory modality differs a lot in world languages depending on foodstuff, ingredients source, diet, food culture. Sensorial perception of ice cream, a globally popular treat, might be a promising object for comparative, typological and cognitive studies in Linguistics, for the analysis of combinability and frequency of sensorial lexemes, rise of new intensifiers, multisensoriality, hierarchy of senses, low/ high intensity, i.e. scalability of sensory words. It might contribute to more effective advertising based on sensorial experience and expectations in different language communities. Comparison of sensorial lexemes with positive and negative evaluative meaning will help to reveal the gap in ice cream properties promoted by the companies and assessed by customers in reviews. Ice cream perception is complex and characterized by multisensoriality. To describe ice cream perception in sensory modalities in English advertisements, customers’ reviews, articles in the newspapers were analyzed. Two parameters of the ice cream perception— taste and texture — look the most important because in advertisements, reviews, comments gustatory and tactile modalities are mentioned as the most important characteristics of the dessert. Visual perception of ice cream turns out to be less significant and yields to other sensations. Audio modality becomes significant if ice cream is sold in a waffle cone. Olfactory modality turns out the least significant. “Taste” adjectives with positive evaluation — delicious, scrumptious, indulgent, luscious, sweet enjoy high frequency. Audio modality is expressed via adjectives crunchy, cracking, crispy. Tactile modality is conveyed mostly via creamy and smooth (positive evaluative meaning), icy, glacial, watery, gritty, gummy, foamy, airy (negative evaluative meaning). Deliciously, velvety are used as intensifiers in flavor descriptions.

Transformation of Fast Food Culture in Rural Adolescents: Evidence from a study in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh

Socio cultural context is changing in rural India. This may lead to establishment of fast food culture in rural areas as well. Objectives: To find out extent, pattern and associates of knowledge, opinion and consumption of fast food by rural adolescents. Materials and Methods: This community based cross sectional study was conducted on 213 adolescents selected by multistage sampling procedure from rural Prayagraj. Each subject was interviewed about socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, opinion, and consumption of fast foods with the help of predesigned and pretested proforma. Analysis of data was done through SPSS and for finding out associates chi square test was applied. Results: Majority of subjects were aware about fast food and 84.0% consumed it in the previous month. There existed significant association of opinion of subjects regarding fast food fulfills hunger with type of family, social class of subjects (P<0.01) whereas, opinion of subjects "Feel energetic after eating fast food" was significantly associated with their gender, type of family and social class (P<0.05). Consumption of fast food was significantly more in subjects from nuclear family and higher SES (P<0.01). Conclusion: Socio Economic gradient prevailed in the expression of the opinions “the fast food fulfill hunger” and “Feel energetic after eating fast food” as well as consumption of fast food by subjects.

Anti-Mainstream Culinary: The Influence of Post-Modernism on Gastronomy in Indonesian Restaurants

The culinary movement is currently undergoing interesting developments: initially, food was a basic requirement for energy and the food consumed was usually processed from nature. Consequently, processed food often characterized the identity of specific tribes, cultures, and regions. In the modern era, food has a long history (for example, the French Revolution), with ethics and rules. This shows that modern food culture is structured and even classifies social classes. Originally, food in the modern era had a concept adapted from the serving of food in palaces, with order and layout. However, this modern presentation of food was rejected by cooks who served food in different ways. For example, enjoying meals at a high altitude and serving food with unusual artistry. With this resistance to the European-style presentation of many luxury restaurants in Indonesia, this post-modernist restaurant can attract customers. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach. Data collection technique is conducted through visual observation via social media. The findings reveal that the flow of post-modernism and post-structuralism has influenced the way food is served in several Indonesian restaurants. The full results and discussion are presented herein.

A Study of the Food Culture of the Edo Period Depicted in Ukiyozhoshi

A Study of the Food Culture of the Edo Period Depicted in Ukiyozhoshi

TOURISTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS DESTINATION FOOD IMAGE DETERMINANTS

The aim of this research article is to analyze the various dimensions which impact the destination food image in the state of Odisha, India. The framework of the study espoused five independent variables – attitude, social media, local food experience, food culture and advertisement and the dependent variable – destination food image, which studied the associations between them. A sample of 270 respondents were obtained via convenient sampling method. The study applied descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis to run the data by using SPSS 23.0 and to examine the relationships between the constructs. It was found that all the dimensions had a positive and significant impact on destination food image. Practical implications in food tourism, destination image & food image are discussed. Recognising the value of regional delicacies and their market would help the hospitality and tourism sector. The study's conclusions are thought to be helpful to marketers who see that travellers are becoming pickier and more demanding in their quest for distinctive experiences provided by travel locations.

New perspectives on multiple fuel use: Energy flexibility in household cooking solutions in Tanzania

There is a tendency to approach multiple fuel use mainly as a problem. This has limited how it is understood and addressed. This article uses a mixed-methods approach to advance understandings of multiple fuel use. We apply social practice theory to analyse multiple fuel use through a survey (n = 354) and 32 qualitative interviews in peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We find multiple fuel use with charcoal to be common, mostly in combination with LPG. Cooking solutions are combined in a complementary manner for their material qualities, but also by social factors. Multiple fuel use enables effective use of different energy types, saving money, coping with low and fluctuating incomes, and securing household energy supply. Flexibility also helps women navigate time constraints and multiple responsibilities, cook for larger families, maintain food culture, and make nutritious food affordable. Characteristics such as income level and variability, housing type, family size and children's age, are analysed as social differences influencing cooking patterns. We find multiple fuel use to be more than simply “stacking” of new fuels: it is an expression of competence and innovation. Efforts for change must build on holistic understandings of people's lived realities and should acknowledge their competent ways of manoeuvring difficult life conditions to a greater extent. Continued use of polluting cooking solutions through multiple fuel use is a barrier to clean energy transition, but solutions are more likely to succeed if recognising the multiple reasons and benefits from practicing multiple fuel use, rather than focusing on its negative impacts.

Ethnocentrism to Cultural Relativism: A Food Journey of Hassan Haji's Family in Richard C. Morais' the Hundred-Foot Journey

This paper examines the conflict faced by select characters in Richard C. Morais' The Hundred-Foot Journey between Indian and French food culture through the lens of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It probes how Hassan Haji strikes a balance between two food cultures: the French culture and Indian culture meet, interact, compete and experience a collision of cultures related to ethnocentric issues from Madame Gertrude Mallory. Leaving one's cultural territory and migrating to another territory authoritatively represents one's cultural superiority. It takes time to understand the cultural practices of other ethnic groups in terms of their food and cultural contexts, which requires competence in cultural relativism. It examines three aspects of his food culture journey. To begin, it studies how Hassan Haji travels out of his home country and adapts to new food culture. Second, how he experiences blending two food cultures. Third, how well he manages, learns and adjusts to the new food culture and settles in with cultural relativism. The author portrays cross-cultural aspects of food's power through the confrontation between French haute cuisine and an Indian restaurant. Literature has enlightened readers' comprehension of many civilisations all across the world. It takes the readers on a voyage around the world without requiring them to leave their current location. Some literary works, on the other hand, combine two civilisations. These pages reflect how various cultures may reveal various facets of each other, including challenges, dreams, and secret scars shared by those who share space with them. As they learn about new cultures, they strive to maintain a balance between the two. Cross-cultural influences led the Kadam family to abandon their nativity and relocate to a new country after crossing cultural divides.

Tibetan food customization mini-program study

One of China's distinctive culinary traditions, Tibetan cuisine is currently beset by a number of issues, including a disconnect between traditional catering and contemporary lifestyle, a low penetration rate, and the relative backwardness of traditional ordering practices with respect to informationization and intelligence. We create and implement a personalised Tibetan food system called "Intelligent Tibetan Food" as a small programme to address these issues. The system aims to enhance user satisfaction and convenience by offering personalised recommendations, online ordering, dish introduction, and other features through extensive research and analysis of Tibetan food culture, mobile Internet technology, and artificial intelligence algorithms.

Improving the safety and quality of fermented shrimp paste (terasi) through supplementation of betel leaf (Piper betle L.) essential oil

Terasi is a traditional fermented shrimp paste that has been an integral part of Indonesian cuisine and food culture. Despite its broad use and complex distinctive flavor, shrimp paste could be harmful for human consumption, particularly when its quality has deteriorated. Indeed, many chemical reactions and microbial activities taking place during shrimp paste fermentation could lead to a decrease in quality and the formation of toxic compounds that are potentially injurious to human health. Thus, this study aimed to explore to improve the safety and quality of shrimp paste by incorporating betel leaf (Piper betle L.) essential oil, known to exert antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The supplementation of betel leaf essential oil (1% and 5%) reduced lipid peroxidation as well as the formation of toxic compounds, including histamine and acrylamide in the shrimp paste fermented for 30 and 60 days. This phenomenon was associated with the inhibition of microbial growth in shrimp paste supplemented with betel leaf essential oil. The sensory analysis revealed that the supplementation of 1% betel leaf essential oil did not affect the consumer’s preference for shrimp paste. Therefore, the present study highlights the potential of betel leaf essential oil as a food additive to improve the safety and quality of fermented shrimp paste.

Exploring veganism in Australia, France, Spain, and Portugal: a netnographic study using the transtheoretical model

ABSTRACT The rising popularity of veganism and vegetarianism has attracted significant market attention, yet limited understanding exists regarding consumer perceptions and adoption of these ethical and sustainable lifestyle choices. To address this gap, we conducted a netnographic analysis using Google Trends and HappyCow. Google Trends data found that food and restaurant-related searches predominated, with lower volumes in France, indicating a distinct food culture and potentially less interest in veganism. Australians exhibited higher search frequencies for “vegan,” reflecting a keen interest in vegan food establishments and products. HappyCow data indicated a relatively more significant number of vegan outlets in Australia. This study provides cross-cultural insights into consumer information-seeking behavior regarding veganism, highlighting the availability of vegan choices in diverse food settings and influencing factors for plant-based alternatives.

Processing and preservation technologies to enhance indigenous food sovereignty, nutrition security and health equity in North America.

Indigenous foods are carriers of traditional native North American food culture and living philosophy. They are featured by the wide varieties in fresh and processed forms, richness in nutrition, flavor, health benefits and diversity in origins, but are usually misunderstood or underrepresented in the modern food systems. Conventional processing and cooking methods are sometimes labor-intensive, less efficient and lack science-based guidelines to prevent unseen safety risks and food loss. Global and regional climate change have caused additional challenges to conventional cooking/processing, and increased native communities' reliance on externally produced foods, which have resulted in increasing nutritional unbalance and prevalence of diet-related health issues. Current and emerging technologies, such as storage and packaging, drying, safety processing, canning, pickling, and fermentation, which treat foods under optimized conditions to improve the safety and extend the shelf-life, are increasingly used in current food systems. Therefore, exploring these technologies for indigenous foods offers opportunities to better preserve their nutrition, safety, and accessibility, and is critical for the sovereignty and independence of indigenous food systems, and sustainability of indigenous food culture. This mini-review focuses on identifying adoptable processing and preservation technologies for selected traditional indigenous foods in North America, summarizing education, extension, and outreach resources and discussing the current challenges and future needs critical to expanding knowledge about indigenous foods and improving food sovereignty, nutrition security, and health equity.