User:Aeb604/sandbox

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Article Evaluation The article on the Turkish drink ayran is quite thorough and well-cited. It is short but comprehensive and relatively objective. The one issue I would take up with the article is its 19th source used to validate the decline of consumption as Turkey's national drink. The source is a Turkish newspaper that was seized by the government in 2016 and has been publishing Turkish government propaganda since then. Though the article was published in 2015, I don't feel 100% confident in its validity and would appreciate a second source.

Article Ideas [[1]] - The origins of Lassi in India (the mixing of plain yogurt and water). Dates - Dates in nomadic/early agricultural societies. Mel i Mato - origins of miel y mato & why the two were consumed together/any number of distinct Catalan dishes and that political significance

Topic Finalization I would like to talk about Catalan's national identity through cuisine. Because of recent separation claims, I think it would be interesting to look at Catalunia's dietary distinctions from Spanish cuisine. The article mostly just lists foods commonly eaten in Catalunia and mentions similarities and distinctions between neighboring cuisines very little. Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies Food, Culture & Society Journal of Tourism History

Draft 1 - Catalan Cuisine The Alternative Views section of the article talks very briefly about Catalan cuisine is an amalgamation of several cuisines, or at least is inspired from other cuisines. Because this whole topic is explicitly stated to be neither widespread nor widely supported, I think that it should either be deleted or incorporated into a larger gastro-political concept. What should replace it, or at least be added to clarify it, is a few paragraphs on the political identity that food takes on. This may include some history of Catalan cuisine concerning its relationship with Spain and/or some specific dishes that really distinguish Catalan food from Spanish food.

Draft Process - Most of my draft materials are not in Wiki, as I pulled direct text from each of the passages I read and arranged them in order to get a sense of what I was going to write. I didn't want to throw hundreds of un-cited quotes in here, so they're in a word doc elsewhere. The texts I drew from were largely about Barcelona's gastro-tourism industry, both Catalan and Spanish tourist agencies. I originally wanted to write about Catalan cuisine identity and how it differs from other Spanish cuisines/how it takes on a political identity, but it is darn near impossible to find an unbiased look from anyone. I also reached out to my grandparents for assistance (my grandmother was a chef/caterer, and they lived in Barcelona for a number of years). They gave me a nice list of distinctly Catalan foods and explained that the Catalan people are "fiercely proud of their culture….food, music, dance..., and language," but for some reason this was quite difficult to cite through the context of food. Many of the articles that came up were about language. I ended up looking at tourism articles because when I visited them in Barcelona, they'd say things like "You want churros y chocolate? it's not really from here..." or "The paella places mostly target tourists, you're better off getting it in another city." I thought I'd get more hard-hitting evidence along those lines, but what I found was also quite interesting - the ancient cookbooks, the start of the tourism industry, and the introduction of supermarkets.

Catalan Cuisine and Identity

Prestige, Tradition, and Tourism

Context for traditional Catalan cuisine comes from medieval cookbooks such as the Llibre de Sent Sovi and the Llibre de Coch which date back to the 14th century.
The Llibre de Sent Sovi shows very strong Greek and Roman influence, while the Llibre de Coch has notable Italian and French influence. Elements of Arab cuisine such as honey, almonds, and rosewater are very strong. While present day Catalan cuisine is quite different, elements of today’s dishes can be seen in these historic cookbooks. The use of eggplant, almond and pine nuts, the combination of fish and meat, and fresh cheeses are all elements of the region’s modern dishes.

Today the Catalunya region is renowned for its culinary prowess. It is currently home to multiple Michelin Star awarded chefs including the Roca brothers, Carme Ruscalleda, and Ferran Adriá. A number of these chefs claim that their meals are rooted deeply in Catalan culinary history, including the recipes from the Llibre de Sent Sovi, and are distinguished from the cuisine of neighboring Spanish regions. Catalan’s most notable chefs are not necessarily Catalan cuisine traditionalists. Carme Ruscalleda, for instance, adds a distinctly Catalan combination of meat and fish to paella, a Spanish dish that does not have its origins in Catalan cooking. The Roca Brothers incorporate ingredients typical to Japanese and South American cuisine into their tapas, which they claim makes Catalan cuisine more open to an international palate. Both the Roca Brother's restaurant El Celler de Can Roca and Carme Ruscalleda's restaurant Restaurant San Pao have featured dishes that grab from multiple countries. El Celler de Can Roca constructed a dish that consisted of five small appetizers that represented five different tastes from different countries. Restaurant San Pao has a tasting menu titled The World of Spices, comprised of dishes containing anything from kimchi to labneh, all showcasing a spice from a distinct region.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Spanish government implemented the world's first government-sponsored tourism agency. Its aims changed over the decades, both using tourism to unify the Spanish image country-wide and show each region's unique qualities, specifically culinarily. Today, as one of Europe’s premier tourist destinations, Barcelona naturally boasts an impressive and unique gastro-tourism industry. In addition to its Michelin Star attractions, the city offers cooking classes, food tours, and cava tastings, which integrate local produce and are said to show insight into the Catalan lifestyle.

Politics and the Marketplace

In the mid-20th century, Catalunya’s presumed “Golden Age” of cuisine came to an end. Markets closed and gave way to supermarkets, rendering local produce and home cooking a thing of the past. Ingredients changed as well. Post-war, the region was told to stop producing expensive, local crops and replace them with fast-growth, high-yield crops. Olive oil, specifically for Catalunya a combination lard and olive oil, was replaced with inexpensive sunflower oil.

The 1970's brought a strong desire to reinstate Catalan identity both politically and culturally. In 1977, Antonio Vazquez Mantelban L'art del Menjar Catalunya, a Catalan cookbook written in the Catalan language. He published an updated edition in 1984 which diverged from the original recipes, noting the massive culinary impact of the cuisine's resurrection. At the same time, the French were embracing nouvelle cuisine which championed fresh market produce, and the trend quickly spread south. This began the movement to promote small retail stores and install large market halls around the city of Barcelona.

La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

The Catalan diet aligns with the standards of the Mediterranean diet, however its landscape makes for some unique flavors. The concept of mar y montaña, sea and mountains, is a specialty of the region. Catalunya’s varying landscape means access to both fresh meat and seafood. The two are often mixed together in a single dish. Other local flavors in the form of fruits, vegetables, and dairy are sold at local markets are also prevalent.