Preserving Food, Preserving Culture: A Heritage of Rajasthani Folklore and Tradition

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_35How to use a DOI?

Keywords

cultural memory; folklore; tradition; habitus; Rajasthani identity; food preservation

Abstract

Food constitutes a vital element in the cultural spectrum while reinforcing one’s identity. Ancient Indian thought categorised the body as annakosh (food-sheath), highlighting the role of food in making of the human constitution. Food has long been considered as art and culinary practices are deeply regionalized in the world with communities developing peculiar food habits and incorporating these in their social and cultural structures through rituals, customs, folklore and collective tradition, having a close affinity with the environment. Thus, food acts as a cultural marker and cultural bridge. The present paper focuses on the preserved foods from Rajasthan’s desert area, such as ker, ber, sangri, kachri, mangodi, panchkuta, and sogra, etc., which demonstrates the indigenous preservation techniques using natural resources, which I have named as the Sun-Salt-Sand method. Food acts as a representative of cultural heritage and tradition by being an integral part of marriage rituals, seasonal festivals, and everyday practices of the regional communities. Folk narratives and songs, like karma Bai ro khichdo (sung during Krishna temple rituals), further embed these culinary traditions in the community’s collective cultural memory and saves them from being perished.

The present analysis is situated on Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, which shows how daily food preservation practices shape one’s social and cultural identity. It also draws on Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory, arguing that preserved foods act as mnemo-technical devices, preventing forgetfulness and building tradition through remembrance. Food extends memory beyond the individual by embedding Rajasthani cultural identity in shared rituals, customs, oral traditions, and material practices. In this sense, food preservation is not only a matter of sustenance but also become a mechanism for sustaining cultural identity across generations.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ritu Soni
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
TI  - Preserving Food, Preserving Culture: A Heritage of Rajasthani Folklore and Tradition
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 405
EP  - 424
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_35
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_35
ID  - Soni2026
ER  -