Cuisine, gastronomy and modernity: toward a definition of gastronomy

Abstract

This article presents the argument that in anthropology it is necessary to differentiate between the concepts: cooking, haute cuisine, and gastronomy. This is a necessary distinction in a global context in which 1) the confusion between cooking and gastronomy imposes “modern” structures on a practice regarded as “traditional”; 2) different cuisines are inscribed into the global market of culinary tourism; and 3) nation-states produce hegemonic forms that erase cultural differences expressed through cooking and its multiple meanings.