Using the free listing technique to study consumers’ representations of traditional gastronomy in Argentina

Abstract

The aims of this research were (i) to study with a sample of Argentine consumers the representations of traditional gastronomy through the free listing method; (ii) to identify consumers’ typologies according to their representation of traditional gastronomy; and (iii) to establish some methodological implications using the free listing in the study of the gastronomic field. A survey was conducted in which 249 Argentines from the Littoral area were recruited. Through a free listing task, participants were asked to mention the main foods or dishes of Argentina’s gastronomy. Twenty-eight foods, dishes or food categories were obtained that are part of the representations of Argentina’s gastronomy. The results showed a strong connection between gastronomy and the representations of the consumers with the “Asado” (CSI = 0.289, Smith = 0.613), the traditional and characteristic food of Argentine gastronomy. Three groups of consumers were identified, presenting differences in the representation of traditional gastronomy (p < 0.05). This work is pioneering for studying gastronomy representations from the consumers’ language through the free listing method using the case of traditional Argentine gastronomy. Future directions of free listing in the gastronomic field are identified and discussed.

Why Acute Undernutrition? A Qualitative Exploration of Food Preferences, Perceptions and Factors Underlying Diet in Adolescent Girls in Rural Communities in Nigeria

“…The salience scores of the top 10 foods ranged more broadly (0.21-0.82) in comparison with those in the present study (0.13-0.62 for preferred foods and 0.16-0.52 for foods perceived as nourishing) [67]. Nonetheless, the range of the salience indices of the complete free lists in the present study (0.02-0.62 for preferred foods and 0.02-0.52 for foods perceived as nourishing) were similar to that (0.029 to 0.613) documented in the Argentine study, which produced a free list of 28 foods representing the country's gastronomy [58]. Perceptual salience has been shown to be a predictor of food choices [68,69].…”

“…In Argentina, free listing was applied to a qualitative assessment of consumers’ understanding of gastronomy [ 58 ]. Additionally, this method was utilized in the comparison of parents’ and pediatricians’ perspectives on patients affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorders [ 66 ].…”

“…The free lists were entered into Free List Analysis in the R environment using Shiny (FLARES) software version 1.0, designed for cultural analyses of free lists [ 57 ]. To determine the most cognitively relevant foods with respect to preference and perceptions of nourishment value, a salience index (Smith’s S ) was generated from the formula S = (( L − R y + 1)/ L )/ N , where L = the length of each individual list, R y = the rank/position of item Y on the list, and N is the sum of the lists in the sample [ 58 , 59 ]. Salience characterizes the importance of an item to study participants, accounting for rank and frequency [ 60 ].…”

Co-existence of potentially sustainable indigenous food systems and poor nutritional status in Ho indigenous community, India: an exploratory study

“…In our study, we defined sustainable food systems as those that contribute to food and nutrition security, and are culturally acceptable, while being protective of biodiversity and ecosystems [18,39]. Free-listing, a qualitative data collection technique used to enlist all elements within a given domain [40], was also conducted to explore the community's TEK regarding their IFs. These enquiries were conducted in seven villages with women (n = 41) to elucidate all the IFs known to Ho community, with details on their seasonality, source of access and frequency of consumption (commonly consumed/little consumed/historically consumed).…”

Consumer Attitudes and Concerns about Beef Consumption in Argentina and Other South American Countries

“…This is manifested in the importance of beef in Argentine meals and gastronomy. A strong connection is observed between gastronomy and the representations of the consumers with the "asado" (cow meat and entrails cooked on a grill with charcoal or firewood), a meal that is part of the identity of Argentines and comparable to other Argentine cultural manifestations such as tango and soccer [37]. However, as in other countries, modifications in the consumption habits of Argentines are being observed [17].…”