O CHOURIÇO E A PATRIMONIALIZAÇÃO DAS COMIDAS DO SERTÃO: QUESTÕES, ENTRAVES E DESAFIOS

Abstract

In Seridó, food has been the object of patrimonialization since 2010. With the registration of the Feast of Sant'Ana, actions were planned with a view to safeguarding traditional eating practices, such as the know-how of the mestras de chouriço. On the other hand, the growth of tourism, the gastronomization of regional food and the promotion of 'rustic culture' brands by political agents provoke a movement of patrimonialization outside state agencies. Although food is at the heart of the matter, the instruments that have been implemented prove to be ineffective, non-existent or not known to representatives of culinary traditions. Far from being a vector of recognition, economic development or emancipation for knowledge-bearing populations, patrimonialization seems to have the opposite effect, as it reinforces social and racial barriers. This finding is the starting point for a reflection on the clashes of food heritage in a society struggling with social and political tensions, focused on the colonial past and re-elaborating its identity in the act of eating.