A gastronomia da cidade de caldas novas como patrimônio cultural imaterial : uma proposta de recuperação das tradições históricas e culturais da culinária local

Abstract

The act of eating, in addition to its classical physiological implications, brings in itself a fundamental aspect of humanization, creation and perpetuation of cultural characteristics and symbols for any population taken as object of analysis. This intangible cultural heritage inherent to societies may also be appropriated as an economic good and be used for the purpose of valuing a place considered as touristic, thus becoming a social and economic development tool. The preservation of this heritage, therefore, may and should contribute to the development of a touristic attraction in a sustainable perspective, considering that sustainability involves not only the environmental, but also cultural, historical, economic, demographic, social and other aspects intrinsically linked to the maintenance of present and future life on the planet. Globalization has promoted, on the other hand, a homogenization of people's habits and tastes, reverted to potential consumers for every product or service with global pretensions. In many cases, regional specificities and values are relegated to the title of ancestral and outdated manifestations, and this movement may be linked to a gradual and irreversible loss of the historical and cultural diversity of a touristic site. Caldas Novas (GO), considered one of the cities with the greatest tourist attractions in the country, does not shy away from this scenario, with the gradual disappearance of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In this sense, this research aims to recover the gastronomic aspect of the intangible cultural heritage of that touristic town, so that the foundations for transforming the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of this rich and prosperous region into an incentive and transforming agent of tourism activities can be laid.