Global Culinary Space and the Gastronomic Strategies of Russian Cities

Abstract

This article presents the concept of global culinary space in which the culinary traditions of many nations interact. The analysis of several national cuisines of major cities shows that there is a hierarchy of culinary powers. The author introduces the idea of culinary sovereignty and considers the gastronomic strategies of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major Russian cities. In Russian culinary space, the most important are Russian, Italian, Japanese, American, and Chinese cuisines.

Keywords:

• sociology of food
• global culinary space
• gastronomic strategies
• culinary power
• culinary sovereignty
• culinary nationalism
• culinary cosmopolitanism

Notes

1. TripAdvisor ascribes to Russian cuisine not only strictly traditional Russian food but also the cuisines of the different ethnicities living in Russia (Tatar, Chuvash, Yakut, etc.), while prioritizing traditional Russian cuisine.

2. Note that identifying the culinary orientations of an important city (capital or economic center) and country is a simplification, but it is still quite useful: as my research has shown (which goes beyond the scope of this article) the culinary preferences of the most important cities of different countries, and these countries as a whole, are not very different.

3. I considered those national cuisines that included at least thirty restaurants in Moscow.