Summary

Writers from different historical periods and literary traditions have turned to food as a symbol, a metaphor, a thematic element, a plot mechanism, a polemic, or a point of departure for the exploration of identities, relationships, and locales. The analysis and exploration of these literary devices in secondary texts is referred to as literary food studies. This type of reading and writing about food may approach food as theme or form in relation to a particular body of literature, a time period, a genre, or another conceptual framework. Conversely, this field may also approach food genres as literature, examining thematic concerns, literary devices, or narrative techniques in the writing of recipes, menus, travelogues, or dietary literature. Any consideration of food and literature thus entails thinking of food in different genres, just as much as it calls for an engagement with food genres themselves.