Abstract

MELENDEZ TORRES, Juana María  and  CANEZ DE LA FUENTE, Gloria María. La cocina tradicional regional como un elemento de identidad y desarrollo local: el caso de San Pedro El Saucito, Sonora, México. Estud. soc [online]. 2009, vol.17, n.spe, pp.181-204. ISSN 0188-4557.

This paper argues that the study of traditional cuisines can contribute to the knowledge of the characteristics of social, economic and productive life of the social groups or the communities in which they are developed. It also helps to identify those changes that have occurred in people's style of life and their impact on feeding, particularly in the disappearance or adaptation of culinary knowledge and practices. On the other hand, the paper analyzes the effects of urbanization, globalization and the market's new conditions in the process of food transformation. Also, we emphasize that regional traditional cuisines constitute part of the intangible heritage of societies and communities, as factors of identity, and also represent a fundamental piece in regional and local economies. A study case in a rural community going through an urbanization process helps to illustrate these arguments.

Keywords : food transformation; traditional cuisine; identity; local development.