The connections between food culture and tourism

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the connections between Food Culture and Tourism. In a context in which Brazilian Gastronomy has had an international evidence, would it have in the country any relation between Food Culture and tourism? In an attempt to answer this question, this paper draws a theoretical review of Food as cultural construction. To do so, it goes through the concepts of culture, identity and memory ”“ and how they build up some aspects of Brazilians Food Cultures. From there, it presents the discussion of Tourism formation and how it relates to Food Culture. It ends analyzing how this relation’s process is constructed in Brazil. It is pointed out that the diversity of Brazilian Food Culture aspects can be used by public politics to foment the Gastronomic Tourism in the country: valuing the cultural identity and empowering local populations.