Digestible Governance

The term gastrocracy refers to the appropriation of discourses and practices related to the sourcing preparation distribution and consumption of food for political purposes. The intersections of gastronomy and governance dating in Spain to the last quarter of the nineteenth century have become highly visible over the past decade when political debates around nationalism in its different forms have taken the guise of discussions about regional and local cuisines. Concomitant with the rise of the slow food movement and following UNESCO's addition in 2011 of Gastronomic Meal of the French to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity public and private associations all around Spain have been established with the goal of achieving recognition by UNESCO for Spanish Catalan and other national cuisines. In 2016 Gastro Marca España-an association and a web portal-was launched to raise the profile of food in Spain's national brand.<br> <br> Eliciting wide public participation co-opted for political purposes regarded as a factor of economic development on any scale and integrated into every so-called banal nationalism the production distribution and consumption of food are highly relevant for historical analysis. Seeking to encourage a broader discussion about Peninsular gastrocracies this book brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars from different sides of the Atlantic and the Pacific who have spearheaded research on gastronomy and governance in Spain.