Traditional foods and food systems: a revision of concepts emerging from qualitative surveys on‐site in the Black Sea area and Italy

Abstract

Eight hundred and thirty-nine foods were documented. The direct experience perception of traditional food value observed in local contexts is somewhat contrasting with the present European tendency to communicate traditional food nature through registration or proprietary standards. Traditional foods are generally a combination of energetic staples with other available ingredients; their intrinsic variability makes the definition of 'standard' recipes little more than an artefact of convenience; cross-country variations are determined by available ingredients, social conditions and nutritional needs. Commercial production requires some degree of raw material and process standardisation. New technologies and rules may stimulate traditional food evolution, but may also represent a barrier for local stakeholders. A trend to work within supply chains by local stakeholders was detected. Specific health promoting values were rarely perceived as a fundamental character. The stable inclusion of traditional food systems in present food supply chains requires a recovery of consumers' awareness of traditional food quality appreciation.

Cultivated Ancient Wheats (Triticum spp.): A Potential Source of Health‐Beneficial Food Products

“…It is also known as pane di farro in Italy and is available in some bakeries. Pasta is also produced from emmer wheat in limited quantities in central Italy at the domestic level but has been largely rejected by consumers owing to its unappealing texture (D'Antuono ). Bulgur (cracked grains) of emmer is also used to prepare hard porridge by mixing it with boiled water and butter.…”

25 years of European Union (EU) quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs across EU Member States

“…For Germany, four foods are registered as PGI, namely Schwäbische Maultaschen , Schwarzwälder Schinken , Dresdner Stollen and Thüringer Rostbratwurst , whereas, for Poland, it is a PDO registered product ( Oscypek ) and, for Italy, Pizza Napoletana is registered as TSG. Another EU Project that dealt with the study of traditional foods was Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood), for which one of the specific objectives was to characterise 33 selected traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries (including Bulgaria, which was the only EU Member State) . Among the studied traditional foods within BaSeFood, none were registered with a EU quality scheme.…”

“…It is a link between not only a product and a specific geographic region, but also usually with unique production methods, characteristics or qualities that are known to exist in the region . For producers, these quality schemes can allow them to distinguish their products and break out of the commodity trap of numerous similar and undifferentiated products . For rural areas, it is expected that these can provide part of the physical and conceptual structure for affirming and valuing the unique sociocultural and agro‐ecological characteristics of a particular place .…”

Fermented food in the context of a healthy diet

“…'Traditional' fermented foods are often linked to the framework of functional foods, of which the perceived health benefits may nevertheless be due to contemporary constructions by Western media and companies [7 alleged hypocholesterolemic effects of the fermented milks consumed by the Maasai [8]. Comparable perceptions exist with respect to traditional Asian diets [9].…”