Thoughts on Culinary Nationalism in Latin America, Guadalajara 2011
Here, in no particular order, are some of the comments on culinary nationalism in Latin America that I found interesting. All authors credited. I hope they will correct me if I mis-represent them.
Where did culinary nationalism begin?
In post-colonial America, according to Sarah Bak-Geller (from Guadalajara about to get her doctorate from EHESS in Paris). She began with Amelia Simmon’s American Cookery (1796) and then went on an analysis of El Cocinero Mexicano (1831, frequently reprinted throughout Latin America).
This I have to mull over. As Sarah said, the cookbooks in Europe tended to be cosmopolitan. Although there were fiercely nationalist comments in, say eighteenth-century British cookbooks, the books as a whole were not presented as national.
When are national cuisines codified?
Estofado in successive nineteenth-century Peruvian cookbooks. Sergio Zapata
In Peru, by the late nineteenth century according to Sergio Zapata Acha (Escuela Profesional de Turismo y Hotelería, Universidad de San Martín de Porres, Lima), who knows the history of Peruvian cookbooks like the back of his hand. In a series of tables he laid out the basic structure of tastes, techniques and ingredients for classic dishes such as escabeche, ceviche, estofado, and so on. His argument was that once a particular taste was established, it did not change (though it might disappear). Again, this is to be mulled over.
He also had a fascinating table on the incorporation of dishes, particularly sweets, from later editions of El Cocinero mexicano in Peruvian cookbooks.
When did national dishes get established?
In a word. Late.
Cutting bacon for feijoada
Feijoada, Brazil’s iconic bean dish, was a dish for the poor until the mid nineteenth century when it became an everyday dish for everyone and being Brazilian meant speaking Portuguese and eating feijoada, according to Almir El-Kareh (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), reporting on his forthcoming book.
Tequila’s ascent from something with the reputation of a rough moonshine to the national beverage (albeit made almost entirely by multinationals) complete with catas and maridajes and all the language of wine tasting was hilariously detailed by José de Jesús Hernández of CIESAS Occidente, Guadalajara.
Well, that’s quite a bit. More to come because the talks were full of interesting insights.
Late. Or recently. Indeed, at least as recently as Latin American nations were established. It is no wonder that the ideal citizen for the new nations was described as a feijoada or enchilada eating mestizo.
Quite, Vivette. And not just Latin America. Most national dishes were chosen as such (and often even invented) no earlier than the late nineteenth century.
Yes, I agree, national dishes appeared late. And El Cocinero Mexicano, what a book … heavily French-influenced, too … see Bak-Geller’s article, “Los recetarios ‘afrancesados’ del siglo XIX en México” at http://aof.revues.org/index6464.html and also see Igor Cusack on culinary nationalism in Africa, for one.
Thanks for adding those references for the readers, Cindy. Yes, French influenced but more than that as I am sure Sarah will write up in a forthcoming publication.
The UK has a greater number of cookery books published then most countries. I’d put the appearance of “national cookery” here at the begining of the 19th century. Its true that most cookery books of the period didn’t mention national cuisine, but in some respects this is is because it is implicit. Another clue to the rise of a identification of a national cuisine is the recognition/invention of “regional” dishes, real of pseudo.
By the early 19th century at least one cook book as section on national dishes:
“SCOTCH AND OTHER NATIONAL DISHES.
It has been remarked, that every country is celebrated for some culinary preparation, and that all National Dishes are good. The reason of this is sufficiently obvious; had they not been acceptable to the palate, they never could have either gained or maintained their supremacy. Accordingly, the Spanish olio and puchero, the Italian macaroni, the French ragout, the Turkish pillau, and though last not least in our good love, the Scotch Haggis, differing essentially as they do, are, nevertheless, all equally good after their kind. ”
By the end of the 19th century, this had become a general phenomena.
Basically I probably agree. But every country, I think, is national in its own way. Am beginning to sketch a tipology of different kinds of nationalism.
This avenue reminds me of Elizabeth Rozin’s “Flavor Principle Cookbook” — follow other leads? I don’t recall her book having any reference to sweets or desserts but that may be my selective memory avoiding that category.
Yes, Sergio’s idea of achieving certain stable taste profiles is similar though I doubt he read Elizabeth Rozin. I’m not convinced myself that taste is primary. Sergio thought you could preserve taste even with changes in technology. I tend to think that changes in technology cause changes in taste. But an interesting set of issue.