Studying foodways – What foods people eat and how they produce, acquire, prepare and consume them – is the best way to gain deep understanding of a culture.

There are many aspects to a culture and multifaceted approaches to studying them. Some study the geography of the area, some study historical texts, and some interview the people of that culture. At the center of culture, however, is food. By studying the foodways of a culture, which is the food in addition to the process by which it is produced, one can gain a deep understanding of the culture, including its geographical influences, historical happenings, and people characteristics.

Foodways reveal multitudes about the geographical background of a culture. For instance, the Native Americans in the midwest grow an abundance of maize, which is a type of corn that grows particularly well in that region. Maize, rice, and acorn are the main sources of carbohydrates, which reflect the climate conditions of the region that is central to the culture. For protein, they hunt wildlife, including buffaloes. The process of hunting reveals not only the existence of fauna in the region, but also the type of society that exists among midwestern Native American tribes. For instance, the protein is cooked over fire and shared among the community, showing that the individuals in the community are interdependent and cooperative. The respect and consideration the Native Americans in that region have toward the buffaloes is also revealed in their ecologically conscious hunting of them, taking special care not to decimate the buffalo population in order to maintain their existence in the ecosystem. In addition to the Native American culture, the Hindu abstention from eating beef, and the Muslim rule of not consuming pork also speak volumes about the relationship between these religious cultures and animals.

In addition to geography and relationship with wildlife, studying the trends in the produce of a culture also reveals information about its history. For instance, when the island of Taiwan was colonized by the Portuguese in the north and the Spanish in the south in the 17th century, most of its exports were rice and spices, which reveals the nature of the colonization and how the Western world viewed Taiwan at the time. When the Japanese took over in the 19th and 20 century, Taiwan farm began producing massive quantities of sugar cane and sweet potato. The change in main export produce shows the differences in the eras and helps one understand the relationship of Taiwan with other nations. Besides the produce, the actual dishes also reveal other foreign influence on Taiwan. When the National party lost against the Communist party in China, many from the mainland fled to Taiwan and brought traditional dishes with them, such as soup dumplings. The people from Fujian bought their unique blend of spicy and aromatic spices, and such spices are common in the western region of Taiwan to which most Fujian people immigrated.

Some may argue that studying foodways is not sufficient, and that primary sources and interviews are more effective. However, it is important to note that such sources only present the culture from the perspective of those who produced the sources, and those are often the more literate and wealthy from that culture. Food is universal, and while it may not reveal every detail about a culture, it creates a starting point from which people studying that culture can be inspired to gather more information.

Moreover, foodways reveals the characteristics of the people in that culture more than any other source. In the documentary series Street Food, the producers travels all over Asia to interview street food vendors and present their story. The story of Toyo, owner of the Izakaya Toyo in Japan, told the story of his tough childhood struggling to survive under a strict education system that did not value creativity and an alcoholic father without the societal support network of the current day. His journey to becoming an izakaya owners demonstrates the strength and resilience of the people in this culture. Furthermore, the friend-like and almost familial bond between the people and Toyo reveals the trusting and socially harmonic characteristic of people in Asian society, a quality that is seen less in Western cultures. All in all, studying the production, preparation, and variety of food in a culture is a revealing and effective manner to fully grasp the essence of that culture.