Introduction : Food and the post-colonial politics of identity -- The story of two peoples : Mexican and Yucatecan peoplehood -- Mérida and the contemporary foodscape -- The Yucatecan culinary field and the naturalization of taste -- Cookbooks and the gastronomic field : from minor to major codes (and back) -- The gastronomic field : restaurants and the institutionalization of Yucatecan gastronomy -- Conclusion : Food and identities in post-national times
Summary
The state of Yucatán has its own distinct culinary tradition, and local people are constantly thinking and talking about food. They use it as a vehicle for social relations but also to distinguish themselves from "Mexicans." This book examines the politics surrounding regional cuisine, as the author argues that Yucatecan gastronomy has been created and promoted in an effort to affirm the identity of a regional people and to oppose the hegemonic force of central Mexican cultural icons and forms. In particular, Yucatecan gastronomy counters the homogenizing drive of a national cuisine based on d
