Tolstoy in a recipe: Globalisation and cookbook discourse in postmodernity

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the impact of global celebrity chefs and their discourse about food on the genre of cookbooks in Slovenia.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing this discourse study on cookbook topics only, the analysis demonstrates the relationship between the aspirations of local celebrity chefs for the food culture represented globally by global celebrity chefs, such as Oliver, and the necessity for a local construction of specific tastes. While the central genre of TV celebrity chefs remains TV cooking shows, their businesses include a number of side products, such as cookbooks, which can be seen as recontexualisations of TV food discourse.

Findings

Hence, despite this study being limited to analysis of cookbooks only, it can be claimed that the findings extend to other genres. The analysis shows that local chefs aspire to follow current trends, such as an emphasis on the local and sustainable production of food as well as enjoyment and pleasure in the form of a postmodern hybrid genre, while, on the other hand, they strive to include topics that will resonate locally, as they aim to represent themselves as the “new middle class”.

Originality/value

Such an analysis brings new insights into the relationship between discourse and globalisation as well as discourse and food.

Citation

Tominc, A. (2014), "Tolstoy in a recipe: Globalisation and cookbook discourse in postmodernity", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 310-323. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-01-2014-0009