FORNO Á LENHA: Memórias do fogo e seus quitutes

Abstract

All aspects that food encompasses are part of the gastronomic identity of a region. Fire is an element of great importance in cooking, it is a transforming agent with a great symbolic power. The North region of Minas Gerais has historical and geographical factors that differentiate it from other Minas Gerais’s regions, with a unique gastronomic formation marked by self-sufficiency. The “Quitanda Mineira '' is present in the North of Minas Gerais diet, but without a specific word to name it. With this knowledge, the goal of this final paper was to register the preparations and symbolic aspects that permeate the “Quitanda Mineira'' from the North region of Minas Gerais. For this purpose an exploratory, descriptive research was conducted with application of semi-structured interviews with eight members of two distinct families that live in the microregion of Janaúba over more than 80 years. As a result, it has been recorded, with fire and the oven as the central point, signs of abundance, family and community integration, celebration and spirituality; being analyzed the basis of the local “quitanda”, with its technique, ingredients and evolutionary processes, mainly the cassava starch biscuit. In conclusion, It can be noticed that state interventions caused changes in this cuisine putting at risk habits and traditions and thus making this study necessary to safeguard the population’s food identity and all of their symbols, techniques and ingredients.