Gastronomy

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a tropical-tasting fruit from a tree indigenous to North America’s temperate climates. Pawpaw has a sweet, sour, and often bitter taste, which is a combination of banana and mango flavor. Fresh fruits are rarely available for retail purchase other than at farm sales or farmers’ markets. Frozen pulp is commercially available but supply is often limited due to increased wholesale demand. The purpose of this paper is to analyze seven years of entries from the Pawpaw Cookoff at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival using case study methodology to provide a basis from which to track trends, make recommendations, and discuss gastronomic opportunities of the pawpaw. Analysis of the data indicates that pawpaw is a versatile fruit that has been incorporated into a wide variety of beverages, savories, sauces, condiments, sweets, and desserts. Pawpaw pairs well with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, especially certain ales, sour beers, innovative cocktails with rum, coffee and tea drinks, and smoothies. Pawpaw is easily incorporated directly into salsas, dips, salad dressings, and frozen desserts that do not require cooking. In cooked savory dishes, sauces, and condiments, pawpaw should be added at the end of preparation. Pawpaw can be used in a wide range of baked and fried sweets and desserts. Full article

Bettelmatt cheese, a cherished Italian culinary gem hailing from the picturesque Val d’Ossola region, is deeply intertwined with its natural environment. This article explores the intricate relationship between the organoleptic attributes of Bettelmatt cheese and the challenges posed by climate change. The sensory qualities of this cheese, including its flavor profile, texture, and aroma, are profoundly influenced by the alpine pastures where the cows graze, the unique terroir, and the traditional production methods. However, as climate change continues to impact ecosystems and weather patterns, it raises questions about the resilience and adaptability of this traditional cheese. In addition to these challenges, the article studies, also through producers’ testimonies, the rules in order to protect this cheese, which is crucial for food and gastronomic sciences. Full article

The dough formation during the kneading for the industrial production of toast pan bread was examined using a series of mechanical tests to assess possible transformations in its rheological properties. For this purpose, the Young’s modulus of elasticity and squeeze flow viscometry of the doughs taken from various processing stages of the kneading process were determined. The rheological properties of the dough were assessed using dynamic and creep tests. Young’s modulus data revealed the changes in the elasticity of the dough exhibited during the different steps of kneading, whereas dynamic and creep tests indicated that throughout kneading, the dough displayed the behavior of a weak solid. Elongational viscosity measurements showed that the dough exhibited pseudoplastic behavior throughout the kneading process. The doughs from the various processing steps exhibited differences in zero shear viscosity values. It is suggested that the changes occurred during the processing stages, related to the development of secondary bonding within the gluten matrix. Full article

Over the last decade, volumes of international studies have illuminated the potential harms associated with ultra-processed products sold as foods. These potential harms include, but are not limited to, an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, poor mental health, and early mortality. Studies examining such products and health have included top-down methods (e.g., nutritional epidemiology), bottom-up approaches (e.g., animal and pre-clinical mechanistic studies), and human intervention trials. The identification of potential harms associated with high levels of food processing has been aided by the NOVA Food Classification System, developed around 2009. Here, in this perspective essay, we argue that lexicon matters, and the continued reference to such ultra-processed products as “foods” is a barrier to policy-related discourse. Using a historical framework, we contend that the term “ultra-processed food” sits in foundational misalignment with how food has been defined, perceived, deliberated on, engaged with, and experienced by humans over millennia. Moreover, we suggest that language that positions ultra-processed products as “food” is part of a mindset that privileges technology and the continued application of isolated nutrients as a means to remedy deeply rooted socioeconomic problems. In the context of global policy, the parallels between food-like ultra-processed products and tobacco are extraordinary. Full article

The Basque Black Pied breed (BBP breed) is a rustic and old pig breed, well adapted to the environmental and productive conditions of the Navarre mountains. Nonetheless, the threat of competition from other, more productive breeds has pushed this local pig to the brink of extinction. A study has been conducted to assess the quality of cured products derived from the meat of this breed. For this purpose, the characteristics of the BBP breed pig carcasses and the organoleptic quality of the cured raw products have been studitab;eed and compared with those obtained from the 50% Large White × 25% Landrace × 25% Piétrain breed (LWLP breed) used as a control. Comparatively to pigs of the LWLP breed, carcasses of the BBP breed showed lower percentages of lean meat and higher percentages of fat coverage, loins, and intramuscular fat content. Expert judges evaluated the appetizing aroma and flavor of the cured raw products from the BBP breed, their texture, and their general impression. The scores of sensory attributes shown by the sausages (the “Sarta” and “Vela” chorizos) indicate the necessity of optimizing and personalizing their curing process to realize the full potential of the distinctive meat. Full article

The peasant diet during the Little Ice Age in Sweden was mainly grain-based (bread, gruel, and porridge), and the country was heavily dependent on grain imports to meet the population’s needs for food. During the eighteenth century in particular, when famines were frequent following failed harvests, Swedish peasants utilized a range of locally available resources to survive. Bark bread made of cambium (phloem) from Pinus sylvestris was, for example, commonly used as famine food. Scientists of the Enlightenment period and the state authorities tried to alleviate hunger and poverty through the introduction of new food resources and cooking techniques, including wild or agricultural plants such as lichens or potato, and the use of protein sources different from the traditional ones, such as horse meat. However, many of these proposals encountered strong resistance from the peasantry, and only at the end of the 1800s famines ceased to cause suffering in Sweden. Scientific studies have so far focused mainly on mortality, malnutrition, demography, and official responses to famines; yet the question of what the starving peasants gathered, prepared, and consumed is important for the understanding of the historical situation. Also, the difference between the scientific proposals and peasants’ decisions and choices must be clearly distinguished. This historical study using an ethnobiological approach discusses peasant subsistence strategies in Sweden in the eighteenth century using contemporary sources, which provide an opportunity to study how the population obtained foodstuffs, adapted their diet to available ingredients, and the interaction and conflicting views of peasants and scientists about new, science-based nutrition proposals. Full article

The link between tourism and the agricultural sector offers, on the one hand, authentic cultural experiences to tourists and, on the other hand, a competitive advantage to tourism businesses seeking to differentiate themselves. This research attempts to empirically investigate the organizational readiness, perceived benefits, and intention of hotels to include local agri-food products in their menus. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and the readiness was evaluated in terms of its three dimensions (organizational culture, organizational climate, and organizational capacity), as well as the perceived benefits in one hundred and twelve hotels of the Regional Unit of Kavala and Thassos in Greece. Following a cluster analysis, three categories of hotels emerged, namely, “Committed”, “Hesitant”, and “Indifferent”. This article uses elements of organizational theory in the hotel industry for the inclusion of local agri-food products in hotel menus, complementing the existing limited literature. The research also has important managerial implications and can be used for policymaking by stakeholders. Full article

Lifestyle changes towards sustainable and healthy diets have given rise to superfoods. Sea vegetables, which are otherwise known as edible seaweeds fall in the category of superfoods and are perceived as sustainable and ethical food options. The present study is dedicated to US consumers’ willingness to buy and their willingness to pay a price premium for sea vegetables, providing insights and best-practice recommendations for marketing managers in the US food retail and gastronomy. An online consumer survey was distributed to explore predictors explaining willingness to buy and pay a price premium. Food engagement, food attributes, consumer knowledge, and health importance were the investigated predictors covered in the survey. Descriptive statistics and partial least square structural equation modelling were used to analyze the data. Food engagement and sea vegetable intrinsic and extrinsic attributes were identified as the strongest predictors for both willingness to buy and to pay a price premium. In contrast, health importance only influenced willingness to buy, and consumer knowledge only influenced willingness to pay a price premium. By focusing on the forms of consumer behavior with high commitment and exploring and validating the factors driving these consumers’ behaviors, the study fills an important research gap. Full article

Food tourism is becoming more popular because of the growing interest of people in organic products and achieving healthier habits. This paper aims to analyze the potential of cooking classes for the planning and development of a sustainable future for food tourism. The research is based on six interviews with providers of cooking classes and six interviews with food tourists in the region of Catalonia. Results show that cooking classes contribute to the process of awarding tourism value to local products and recipes, creating and authentic and educational experience. This engages producers and consumers in a sustainable, and regenerative experience, that appreciates local people, places and practices. Cooking classes are activities that can create a tourism attraction factor, and consequently, allow locals and visitors to know the culture of the country they visit from a unique point of view, which this paper analyses from both perspectives. Full article

Research and initiatives in the emerging field of gastronomy require collaboration among scholars and experts from diverse backgrounds. Transdisciplinarity has been indicated as an effective approach allowing stakeholders from a variety of disciplines and professional practices to better understand and plan interventions in complex gastronomy-related issues and challenges. However, the actors collaborating in such transdisciplinary processes often represent different priorities, values, and needs, as well as varying levels of power and access to financial means. This is particularly evident when it comes to gastronomic heritage. Its identification, support, and promotion require cultural, social, and political negotiations among a great number of stakeholders. Using a pilot workshop organized in March 2023 in Madrid as a case study, this articles suggests that participatory design methods can offer instruments to ensure the effective transdisciplinarity required in gastronomy and to address the political tensions that underlie many of its aspects. Full article

This article analyses the first Italian lockdown in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of a digital scenario, trying to find assumptions from social media to understand the amazing increase in flour consumption that occurred, up to an average value of +80%. The focus of this article is on the most common social platforms of the country, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, and the analysis took place around the keyword “flour”. The aim was to find some answers looking at the media consumption of content related to the topic, looking at the first 100 most engaging posts on Facebook pages, Facebook public groups and Instagram profiles. What emerged is that after an initial dominion of professional content creation in the second month of the three months of domestic reclusion, user-generated content augmented on Facebook, while on Instagram, the most-followed profile was the one of a domestic cooking star. What seemed to emerge is that cooking at home and completing simple recipes based on flour could have been a sort of protection practice against the instability and terrific times due to the pandemic in the Italian cultural field. Full article

Despite eating being a universal human experience, the study of “what we eat” has only gained momentum in the past century; this is mainly because of the development of the agrifood industry, nutritional studies within the medical sciences, and, more recently, the Anglo-American tradition of food studies [...] Full article