Buying Sweet Memories: The Heritagization of Food Souvenirs in Northern Portugal

Abstract

Douro, Portugal is a tourism destination increasingly sought after by its natural and cultural landscapes, where the wineries and wine production act as central attractions. As a world-renowned tourism product, wine draws most of the interest in this subregion. Nonetheless, many other gastronomic attractions can be found, including local products such as honey, dairy products, jams, as well as characteristic dishes from the northern Portuguese in-land and from other parts of Portugal. Food and beverages are consumed on location, but also taken home by tourists as souvenirs. Delicacies go through processes of certification and heritagization and are marketed as a tourism product, a process that often creates problems and consequences unforeseen by locals, authorities, or businesses. This article analyzes the certification process of a regional Douro delicacy and the issues that followed, namely consequences for producers and local communities, but also the symbolic, political, and economic repercussions. This qualitative research demonstrates how the certification process of food souvenirs can entail an intense symbolic power conflict between different producers with economic implications that segregates key stakeholders and threatens to crystallize the cultural dynamic of food production, innovation, and reinvention.