Food and gastronomy
On several occasions, the "anthropological look" that shoul prevail throughout this research work, has been mentioned. As refering to traditional food and gastronomy, we should part from Lévi-Strauss´ categories, what is raw and what is cooked when classifying and comparing these testimonies with other cultures. A third category, what is rotten, will in addition help us to track down the magical-religious purposes associated to certain foods and, in general intented for the protection of the people at the table.
Excellent field studies on this topic, such as the Atlas of the Etniker groups, show that ethnographic studies should in the first place, look into the procedures and techniques for the production and collecting, for the preservation and the traditional elaboration of foods (eatables and drinkables), and the utensils and the material culture needed in all these procedures. Again, therefore, it is fundamental to consider the vocabulary and lexis associated to graphic images. So, there are essential processes associated to elements such as bread, eggs, and techniques such as pig-killing; meat perservation, especially game; the perservation and elaboration of fish; the drying and perservation of fruit; collecting (mushrooms, fungi, snails, etc.); milk and dairy products; vegetables and how they are cooked and spiced; the making of wine, liquors and other alcoholic drinks; the making of coffee, chocolate or teas; the making and consumption of tobacco... In this sense, the testimonies about the perservation techniques of raw foods and special cooking techniques are remarkable, for example by using burning stones.
Secondly, field studies should incorporate the uses and customs at the table: name number of daily meals; places and mealtimes; foods and spices and the order of these; drinks; tools that are used and how they should be handled; people at the table... From the point of view of oral genres, table blessing is registrated as a modality of prayer which is clearly disappearing.
Opposing daily meals we should approach festive meals and fasting periods and, in general whatever other ddifference with daily routine: moments or days; types of foods for those days (special dishes and special food for fasting); excessive eating and drinking on festivities; exclusive dishes or at least characteristic of a particular festivity witin the festive cycle... It is also necessary to registrate the elaboration of the most characteristic dishes of traditional recipies of each place, usually cooked on one of these exceptional days. After meal songs, belonging to diverse subgenres according to the extraordinary character of the day, are closely linked to these festive dates.
Neither can we ignore the relevant role of markets in the commercialization of the products.
Finally, it is especially interesting to approach the study of traditional recipies, their social and cultural differences in Navarre and lower Navarre. Considering the universal and variable anthropological category of the dychotomy edible/non-edible, these differences have their origen, in some cases, in the historic movement of coexistence with religious (Muslims and Jews) minorities and that imply the existence of cultural concepts such as forbidden food, "medals" for new Christians, the slaughtering with their different rites, the uses and customes at the table... In other cases, the differences come from ethnic minorities (gypsies, immigrants...).
Threfore, field research should be completed with the incorporation of a wide range of sources: photographs (old ones, studio, those made by itinerant photographers, post cards, documentsries, artistic...) and films; descriptions in literature and custom paintings; engravings and lithographs of different periods, and travelling texts, among others.
- Download PDF1 Repetoire of tradicional food
- Download PDF2 Overview study la aliof food and gastronomy in Navarre and Lower Navarra
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