The Story of the Plate: Protecting or Marketing Culinary Heritage?
Chapter from the book:
Solunoğlu,
A.
(ed.)
2026.
TOURGASTREC II.
Synopsis
Utilizing a synthesis of postcolonial theory and gastronomic concepts, this theoretical and exploratory study aims to position food not merely as a biological fuel or a hedonistic object of consumption, but as an edible archive in which historical memory and collective identity are encoded. Drawing on Hauck-Lawson's concept of food voice, the study analyzes culinary heritage as a complex semiotic system and a space of political resistance where marginalized communities assert their existence in the face of global homogenization and the Western-centric gastronomic hierarchy.
The method involves deconstructing the heriting process through a critical literature review and examining the socio-political frameworks of institutionalized heritage. In this context, the study rests on three main axes: Firstly, it discusses how, through Italy's 2025 UNESCO initiative, culinary heritage is transformed from a static object of preservation into a holistic ecosystem centered on culinary sovereignty and biodiversity. Secondly, addressing the tourism Paradox, the study examines how branding efforts undertaken for economic sustainability risk museumizing living traditions and creating staged authenticity. Thirdly, using examples from Turkey (Gaziantep Baklava) and Mexico, it demonstrates that Geographical Indications (GIs) are not merely marketing labels, but also a legal shield against colonial dispossession and a strategic diplomatic tool.
The study concludes that the resilience of culinary heritage depends not on freezing recipes, but on preserving the socio-cultural contexts of their production. Ultimately, it is argued that the true value of the edible archive lies in its continuous reproduction and appropriation within everyday life practices, despite the pressures of visual consumption in the digital age.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ramazan Göral; Ali Solunoğlu; Ebru Arıcı- Orhan Batman- Gizem Kandemir Altunel- Şehnaz Demirkol- Kübra Kıymet Arslan- Feyza Altun- Mustafa Emre Şirin- Suat Arpacı- Y. Kemal Özekici- Furkan Dursun- Dilek Karakaş- Canan Semint- Serkan Semint- Nuriye Demir- Betül Şahin- Hasan Cinnioğlu- Aysun Gargacı Kınay- Mehtap Baykal Erdoğan- Evrim Karaca- Ezgi Erşahin- Şehnaz Demirkol- Ayhan Başçı- Semra Akar Şahingöz- Selva Atınç- Hale Özgit- Şerif Ahmet Demirdağ- Cihan Yılmaz- Meliha Sena Yıldırgan- Pelin Candar- Özel Kılıç- Duygu Kırmızıkuşak- Mehmet Koçak- Mustafa Demirel- Halit Sökmen- Ahmet Can Göksun- Duran Kuru- Ece Rua Gülal- Sağbetullah Meriç- Yusuf Ormankıran