Fermenting Cultures: Time, Temperature, Taste

Keywords: Himalaya; Food; Fermentation; Temperature
Session Type: Virtual Paper
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 4/10/2021 09:35 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/10/2021 10:50 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 30

Abstract

How do we taste and eat the story of the Himalayan region? In this presentation, I draw from my anthropological ethnographic work titled Fermenting Cultures. This ongoing work explores the politics of food in militarized zones like Northeast India, and examine how identity and the market are shaping the meaning of fermented food, and consumption practices. Focused on communities engaged in conversations about promoting fermented food as part of indigenous cuisine, the presentation moves away from large scale infrastructure projects like dams, roads, and cities. Instead, it draws attention to the microbial world where simple practices like fermenting and preserving food intimately shape the meanings of region, identity and politics. I examine how consuming fermented food and culinary practices shape Himalayan citizenship practices and identities. At a moment when we are witnessing a global movement on fermenting food, nutrition, and sustainability, I offer insights from my ongoing anthropological project to highlight the challenges of small scale non-industrial fermenting communities. Fermenting cultures is a story about regional taste and global practices, and the ways we organize, move, and order our lives, contributing to the creation of new regions, identities, and solidarities.