>i<Cozinha tradicional paulista>/i< (1963): um livro de receitas, o folclore e a invenção de uma culinária esquecida

Abstract

Situated in the field of Food History, this dissertation focuses on the formation of "paulista cuisine" through the construction of a symbolic imaginary, in relation with the creation of an identity for São Paulo. The central theme is the first regional cookbook published with the explicit intention of defining that cuisine. Cozinha tradicional paulista was launched in 1963 by a folklorist, Jamile Japur (1920-1979), who actively participated in the "Brazilian folkloric movement", an organized network of researchers interested in collecting and preserving the popular culture. Ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s, this study encompasses the intellectual path that led to the production, consumption and circulation of the mentioned cookbook, from the constitution of an idea about the "caipira" cuisine to the culinary discussion between the modernist Mário de Andrade and the regionalist Gilberto Freyre and the folkloristic conformation of regional cuisines as "typical" and "state-based". In addition to analyzing the publication itself, the research also comprises a comparison with two other cookbooks that focused on outlining similar culinary systems in Goiás and Minas Gerais. In general, the dissertation seeks to demonstrate the intricacies of the construction of the "paulista cuisine" throughout the twentieth century, from the marginalization of its "caipira" basis and the notion of a forgotten tradition.