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Abstract
Traditional food knowledge (TFK) refers to the cultural tradition of sharing food provisioning skills, techniques and cultural beliefs from generation to generation. Traditional food knowledge can be a means of asserting cultural identity, particularly for minority cultural groups; transmitting this knowledge may contribute to personal skills that relate to food security and personal nutrition and enhanced community capacity. Furthermore, this knowledge can connect cultural diasporas and fortify cultural identity for post-migration generations. As an intergenerational activity, TFK transmission also plays a role in socialization. Traditional food knowledge can fade within households and communities as regional food systems and cultures change with pressures from global industrialization, urbanization and cultural homogenization. The distinct expressions of taste and place face a continuity gap when traditional food knowledge is not passed forward and, instead, is reframed as the domain of industrial production. The losses in cultural heritage, as a result, have only recently reached academic and policy attention. Defining traditional food knowledge (TFK) is a first step in asserting space for its recovery and renewal. TFK practitioners will need to be recognized for their skills and community space - in terms of time and facilities - may be required to encourage such social and informal cultural education to be shared. The qualitative case study described in this paper combined knowledge from the literature with the lived experience of immigrant first-generation Indonesian-Chinese Canadians and their families. The literature contextualized the social practice of traditional food knowledge transmission and provided the theoretical background. The concept of TFK was grounded in the experiences of a specific group of settled immigrants through a focus group and interviews. The study results include a definition of TFK, description of its significance to a sample of first-generation Canadians and recommendations for supporting TFK transmission.
Les connaissances alimentaires traditionnelles englobent la tradition culturelle de partage, de génération en génération, des habiletés, des techniques et des croyances culturelles liées à l'approvisionnement en aliments. Les connaissances alimentaires traditionnelles peuvent être un moyen d'affirmer son identité culturelle, particulièrement dans les groupes culturels minoritaires. La transmission de ces connaissances peut contribuer aux habiletés personnelles qui sont en lien avec la sécurité alimentaire et l'alimentation personnelle ainsi qu'à une augmentation de la capacité des collectivités. De plus, ces connaissances...