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Chapter 4 Gastronomic Identity II: Food and Cuisine
CULTURE
There are two main forces at work in this relationship between a region and its food:
nature and people. Nature provides the unique soil and climate characteristics. Soil types
can vary substantially from heavy and fertile to light and sandy or dry and stony, to name a
few examples. The effect of climate differences (shown for wine in Chapter 3) apply to food
products as well.
People provide know-how and capabilities to ensure the proper seed stock is sown in
the correct type of soil at the right time and that the food product is properly cared for,
harvested at the appropriate time, stored properly, handled correctly, and fabricated as tradition
dictates if it is to become a value-added food item such as cheese, cured meats, pastries,
and so on.
Faced with global demand and intensive farming methods, producers can choose to
keep their costs and prices down, following a low-cost producer strategy. Or they may choose
to identify with a specific location and differentiate their product through working with
nature and utilizing specific methods of production, leading to distinctive products with
characteristics that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. 10 This is the heart of the terroir concept
and has been applied to, among other products, Bresse chicken and Dijon mustard from
France, Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy, Neufchâtel cheese from Switzerland, Walla Walla
sweet onions from Washington state, and Creole tomatoes from Louisiana. As with wine
production, the AOC idea enhances the natural environment through the use of sustainable
farming and production methods while providing a market niche for producers.
Geography and climate impact not only the food products that are readily available at
a particular location but also interact with human physiological characteristics to impact
eating habits. For example, while wheat and ancient relatives of wheat (spelt, farro, and
einkorn) were available at a variety of climatic regions, staple food products based on wheat
varied from region to region not only because of cultural or religious differences but also
because of the relationship among climate, physiology, and cooking method. For example,
societies that are known for artisan breads and other baked goods, which are cooked for a
relatively long time in ovens that generate a lot of heat, are generally located in the more
northern, cooler climates such as France, Germany, and northern Italy. In warmer climates,
people may not have wanted to increase their physical discomfort by generating additional
heat by using ovens, and so they adapted the use of wheat for food products that do not
require such extended cooking, such as pasta (well known throughout Italy) and flat breads
of various types prepared in southern Europe and North Africa. Additionally, the decision
whether or not to utilize an oven may be connected to the cost of the fuel to heat it—poorer
regions may not have had the means to do this.
Capsicum peppers are another example of how diet can interact with physiological
properties as well as climate. While peppers have been part of the European diet since the
1600s, their use in dishes are associated with warmer climate zones across the globe. The
spread of chiles throughout the world over the past five hundred years has been truly remarkable,
but their use in traditional foods has remained limited to warmer climatic zones.
Few northern Europeans adopted widespread use of peppers—they were hard to grow in
that climate, and the populations there did not need the cooling achieved when pepper
ingestion results in sweating. Originating in North America (and discovered for Europeans
by Columbus on a Caribbean island), the capsicum pepper is used frequently in places such
as South America, Thailand, India, Mexico, and many of the U.S. southern and southwestern
states, including Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico. 11
Food and wine habits are strongly affected by a variety of cultural norms and events,
including the history of the region, the food systems employed, the amount and location of
trade, traditions, beliefs, and local capabilities. Regional cuisine never stands still, either—it