Abstract
One of the key concepts of maintaining national identity in Poland is gastronationalism, especially in the face of the “threat” of losing the homogeneity of the nation. In this context, food also serves as a bond for citizens with increasingly different views and social statuses. Following the gastronationalist strategy, government institutions organize recipe competitions for local dishes. The main participants are Rural Housewives’ Clubs, the most common form of women’s association in rural areas. The origins of this type of organizations date back to the end of the 19th century, when they gathered the most modern knowledge about household, hygiene and raising children, but now they are associated with a broadly understood tradition, including culinary. Recipes created especially for the competition balance between well-known dishes and the authors’ attempts to impress the judges. By mixing ingredients and culinary strategies from various orders, Rural Housewives’ Club members create a “digestible whole”, loosely connected by the idea of locality. Once awarded, most of them are abandoned and are almost never included on the lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage or Traditional Products. The study, based on observational and participatory field research conducted in 2022-2023 in Greater Poland, describes the role of the conservative government’s stimulation of the “production of tradition” and its impact on the concept of locality.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Rural Housewives' Clubs, Gastronationalism, Tradition, Locality
