ABSTRACT
Culture bridges the gastronomical, culinary and nutritional aspects of food by observing activities taking place in fields, factories and kitchens in different parts of the world. In this chapter, the author reviews culture as a conceptual tool, and then develops and applies it to understand food cultures. He examines gender as one dimension of culture that often disappears from economic analysis of the global food system. Culture shapes how people interact with their environment, which is the ultimate source of food. Techniques for managing shared resources such as pasture land, forests and rivers are also important parts of food cultures and are often linked to kinship. Women have a unique relationship with food; thus, food studies needs a feminist lens. “Feeding and eating are profoundly meaningful in all cultures and are deeply entwined with gender relations”. Around the world, commons are culturally constructed based on vastly different ideologies and histories that underlie the collective use of resources.
