PATRIMÔNIO E IDENTIDADE REGIONAL: TRADIÇÕES DOCEIRAS EM PERSPECTIVA

Abstract

In the present article, we seek to understand the sweet-making tradition in the Town of Goiás, from the process of recognition of food products as heritage, in its cultural and historical aspects, having in mind that the importance of typical cuisines for the local/regional culture will depend on political articulations aiming at strengthening the cultural identity of the communities that embody the knowledge and food practices. Comparing the registration process of the Região Doceira de Pelotas e Antiga Pelotas (RS) with the case of the sweet-making traditions in the Town of Goiás (GO), approached here through documentary research and interviews, respectively, we seek to bring reflections that serve to explore the reasons why the traditional food knowledge and practices in the State of Goiás have not yet been officially recognized as cultural heritage, a concept almost absent in the discourses on local/regional identity, including among the narratives of our interlocutors. From this approach, we tried to draw a less romanticized image of the sweet-makers, by revealing the real reasons that led these women to take up the profession, often related to the struggle for survival or to support their families. We also found that local cuisines stand out as important elements for tourism, which appropriates the food heritage to create commodities from local products, and, not without contradictions, also ends up providing notoriety and more financial resources to the professional sweet-makers of the Town of Goiás.