ABSTRACT
It is an anthropological truism that food is both substance and symbol, providing physical nourishment and a key mode of communication that carries many kinds of meaning (Counihan and Van Esterik 1997 ). Many studies have demonstrated that food is a particularly potent symbol of personal and group identity, forming one of the foundations of both individuality and a sense of common membership in a larger, bounded group. What is much less well understood is how such a stable pillar of identity can also be so fl uid and changeable, how the seemingly insurmountable boundaries between each group’s unique dietary practices and habits can be maintained, while diets, recipes, and cuisines are in a constant state of fl ux (Warde 1997 :57-77).
