Tenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Written in the light of critical heritage studies, this paper considers the convergence between food practices and ‘migrating heritage’ in general and refugee heritage in particular. By studying the foodways of Syrian refugees in Portugal, the author explores how this ‘non-official heritage’ has proved the most effective tool for achieving an appropriate social integration of the largest group hosted by this country during the recent refugee flows in Europe. Many refugee integration initiatives have emerged in the region in the wake of the so-called ‘European Migrant Crisis’. In Portugal, they have mainly been related to refugees’ food practices, examples being culinary workshops, gastronomic events, and the development of restaurants and catering services. The paper discusses how the Portuguese government, NGOs, and civil society use refugees’ food practices to support their integration into the country, and how refugees respond, or not, to the related political and social demands. It also looks at how the foodways of Syrian refugees are adapting and being reshaped and are loaded with new meanings during their integration process, before finally questioning the extent to which, as a form of migrating heritage, these refugees’ food practices can build ‘bridges’ between cultures. The paper presents the results of fieldwork in which semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and audiovisual resources were applied among NGOs, restaurants and shops whose work and businesses are linked to Syrian refugees’ food practices.