Food forges, feeds and destroys alliances, concludes Portuguese study of 100 years of menus

What do hake fillets, 1890 Port wine and Azorean pineapple have in common? At one point, these dishes were served as part of diplomatic dinners held in Portugal. But is there a deeper meaning behind these choices?

A team of Portuguese researchers examined dinner menus that have been served over the last 100 years in diplomatic dinners all over the world.

The study authors found that the dishes served at these dinners were a vital part of the execution of foreign policy Portuguese, and that national cuisines can be strategically used to reinforce a country’s global position.

Food brings people together. It serves as a tool to communicate political positions, to cultivate intercultural understanding or, if necessary, create tensions. Menus can reflect these intentions by use food to create effects specific psychological messages and convey symbolic messages.

But how exactly is this done?

In the new one, published this Friday in Frontiers in Political Sciencesa team of researchers led by Portuguese researcher Oscar Cabralexamined menus from diplomatic dinners, state banquets and receptions held throughout the 20th and 21st centuries to discover how meals reflected and shaped Portuguese foreign policy and geopolitics.

“These meals play a significant role as diplomatic institutions in the execution and continuity of Portuguese foreign policy”, explains Óscar Cabral, researcher in gastronomic sciences at the University of Mondragón, in San Sebastián, Spain.

The menus “demonstrate how culinary and gastronomic practices facilitated the diplomatic negotiations and provided opportunities for cultural exchanges, political messages and the transmission of Portuguese culture”, details the researcher, in a statement published on .

Food from Portugal

“Menus may be intentionally designed to convey political and communicate non-gastronomic aspects“explains Cabral.

“For example, the COP25 meal in Madrid used dish names like ‘Warm Seas. Food imbalance’ and ‘Urgent. Minimize animal protein’ to draw attention to climate issues”, says the researcher.

But Using food in this way is not a new idea. For the current study, researchers analyzed menus for 457 diplomatic meals dated between 1910 and 2023.

Although it was not possible identify a diplomatic strategy clearly structured cuisine or public policy, certain historical periods showed distinct characteristics.

During a first half of the 20th centurysumptuous nine- or ten-course meals featuring French cuisine were the norm.

A introduction of Portuguese products happened gradually throughout the second half of the 20th century. A turning point occurred during the dictatorial period of the Estado Novo, between 1950 and 1961/62.

“We see a fundamental change towards the inclusion and promotion of Portuguese products, territory and culinary regionalism”, says Cabral.

During this period, meals were designed to reflect a emerging gastronationalismthat is, the use of food to promote national identity.

“This crystallized in 1957 ‘regional lunch’ for Queen Elizabeth IIwhich was designed to convey a sense of territory and ‘Portugueseness‘.” Dishes included lobster and fruit pies from the Portuguese cities of Peniche and Alcobaça.

During the 1960s and 70s, diplomatic meals increasingly featured more rare ingredientssuch as the turtle soup served to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1973, or trout from the Azores served to the American and French presidents in 1971.

However, at the same time, typically Portuguese products may have been included because getting more unique alternatives was difficult during periods of economic and energy criseswhich in Portugal continued beyond the 1970s.

Another change in menus occurred when the former Portuguese colonies gained independence. The understanding of what Portuguese cuisine was has changed – for example, coffee was simply referred to as suchwith no indication of its country of origin – and the colonial language has been removed.

Forge, foster and break alliances

The team identified five functions of diplomatic meals.

As tactical meals they are often related to territorial transfers; to the geopolitical meals aim to renew and confirm alliances. Already the economic diplomacy meals they intend to foster commercial and financial relationships.

As scientific cooperation mealscultural and development, in turn, can be carried out to show common interests. And the meals cultural proximity they can be a tool to reinforce cultural ties with specific countries, for example, Portuguese-speaking countries around the world.

“By reinforcing these ties, the menus intentionally present products closely linked to a shared national cuisinelike Cozido à Portuguesa or cod recipes”, said Cabral.

Integrating gastronomy – together with the Portuguese language, values ​​and traditions – into the strategic work of national institutions is necessary to shape the global understanding of Portuguese culturesays the team.

“Our study illustrates how national cuisines can be strategically used to rStrengthen a country’s global position“says Cabral.

The study was limited, however, by the availability of archival materials of specific historical periods. Future studies should also seek to understand andseemingly contradictory menu choiceslike the roast beef served to the Indian president in 1990, says the team.

“Another dish that stands out is the Barranco Ham Consommés, a fine soup made from cured ham from Barrancos, served to King Philip VI of Spain in 2016. It presents a challenge of cultural and gastronomic identity”, highlights Óscar Cabral.

This is a hybrid dish – a French-style soup using a classic French cut but featuring a key Portuguese product (Barrancos ham) – which was served to the monarch of a nation famous for being the country of cured ham.

“This can be interpreted as a fun gastronomic challengeo”, concludes the Portuguese researcher.