Patrimônios culinários como indicações geográficas: análise da construção da paisagem alimentar no Brasil e na Espanha.

Abstract

Traditional foods are immersed in the culture of the people and in the specific genetic heritage of the region of origin, thus contributing to the construction of the food landscape. The food landscape synthesizes the physical, social, and cultural dimensions of a locality, representing the nexus between people-food-place and is therefore constantly changing. With a view to preserving traditional foods, food knowledge and practices have been registered as intangible cultural heritage at the national and international levels. In industrial property, Geographical Indication (GI) is the most appropriate type of registration for this type of safeguard. This thesis is justified by the evident need to establish scientific bases that promote the recognition of culinary heritage and the importance of its protection through GI, which is unprecedented in the association of Gastronomy with Geography. Thus, the objective of this study is to promote the construction of the food landscape associated with GI, based on elements that portray the dialectical relationship between tradition and innovation in the process of protecting culinary heritage. This is a descriptive and exploratory study, in which Brazilian and Galician GIs were analyzed, relating them to gastronomy. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used, and the work was organized into three stages: bibliographic and documentary surveys; case studies; and data analysis. Methodological resources included index cards, direct observation, audio and video recordings, field diaries, questionnaires, and interviews. To analyze the results, all data obtained were evaluated descriptively and analytically, applying hermeneutic-dialectical methods, discourse analysis, and mathematical models, which culminated in a classification tree. As a final result, the food landscape associated with GI was constructed and summarized through the development of a practical method, which points to integrated action plans for strengthening culinary heritage. It was established that the factors of originality (territoriality, traditionality, typicality, communality, and co-creation) are the constituent elements of this landscape. In Brazil, the foodscape associated with GI was a topic that was little known or recognized by the social groups interviewed, while in Spain, there was progress in its understanding by the participants, confirmed by the presence of the landscape (in an increasingly representative form) in European legislation dealing with GI. It should be noted that the strong support that the Control Body offers to Spanish GIs can serve as a model for other countries to better support the creation and maintenance of legitimate GIs in their territories. Finally, it is hoped that this thesis will contribute to the protection of more culinary heritage, so that the associated tradition of communal dining will endure and its continued existence will be celebrated, especially by producers, who are the true guardians of traditionally passed-down knowledge and practices.