DOCES MEMÓRIAS DO SERTÃO PARAIBANO: doce de gergelim e o bolo de caco

Abstract

Gastronomy runs through the whole food space, transforming and showing the various functionalities of a single ingredient, creating currents that over time develop new cultural paths. The Brazilian cuisine has created its own paths, as well as started its own sweets even over distinct influences, appearing several characteristics in the homemade sweets, which are propagated in ancestral memories and in teachings from mother to daughter, of which in many regions, mainly in the northeastern countryside, there is a scarcity of studies about these sweets. This research aims to explore the memories of families from the countryside of Paraiba, preserving the culture of homemade candies, old and current preparation methods, in order to register this knowledge and know-how that are of great importance to the family, regional, and scientific areas of cultural gastronomy. The qualitative exploratory methodology of authors who aim to search for practical and simple information that refers to the memories was used, making the interviews easier, with a more fluid didactic approach. In conclusion, the research verified the permanence in the transmission and reproduction of the recipes, with small modifications in relation to the preparation forms and the types of utensils used to prepare the sweets. Thus resulting in a family register so that future generations can understand the value of preserving and passing on their affective gastronomic memories.