Category talk:Peasant foods

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I think most traditional ethnic foods are peasant foods (although the term might imply country foods, not urban). Is this category meant only to include strictly "poor people's food"? —Michael Z. 2005-04-7 03:38 Z

I would say "Peasant Food" would be ethnic or regional dishes that were originally prepared at home from recipes that were or became traditional. My grandmother was from Romania (Transylvania--no she didn't make blood sausage); in the U.S. she was not poor, but she continued to prepare traditional dishes (everyday, not for special occasions) that created amazing dishes from cheap ingredients many people wouldn't touch, no less see in a mainstream restaurant. -- Cecropia | explains it all ® 03:50, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Well, I meant stuff that would at one time have been "poor people's food" (with the quotation marks to denote ironic usage).

I'm trying to figure out a way that this category won't include every single ethnic dish. If not, then it should just be called Category:ethnic cuisine and include 95% of the items in Category:Cuisine. —Michael Z. 2005-04-7 05:22 Z

What would be in the other 5%? — Pekinensis 01:46, 5 May 2005 (UTC)

First, "peasant food" is an accepted term, not a simple description. The key to peasant food is that it is food prepared from cheap ingredients, generally substituting labor and skill for ingredient quality to make it palatable, and varying by region and etnicity to reflect locally available foods. This is not the same as "ethnic food." Sushi could be viewed as an ethnic food, so could a corned-beef and pastrami sandwich, or bagel and lox. Chinese cuisine includes preparation of species considered exotic and not generally food-worthy in other cultures (such as civet cats. But these are luxury foods in their cultures, not peasant foods. -- Cecropia | explains it all ® 03:59, 5 May 2005 (UTC)