Preservation of the cultural identity of regional products

Abstract

Introduction: The preservation of traditional foods makes food available to the market
with symbolic character, representatives of food heritage and with specific qualities.
Therefore, the standardization of the production process through the Technical
Preparation Form, represents a viable alternative to preserve the regional
characteristics of the products. Objective: This study aimed to prepare Technical Data
Sheets for the preparation of regional products, as an instrument to promote quality
and preserve local practices and knowledge of preparations prepared by a cooperative
in the Baixo Sul region, Bahia. Method: Initially an on-site visit was carried out in order
to characterize the food production sites and the groups of farmers participating in the
cooperative, then a form was applied to establish the selection criteria for the
preparations. Next, five products were chosen to be standardized, right after the
production was monitored, followed by the preparation of the Technical Preparation
Sheets. Results: Technical data sheets were prepared for the preparation of genipap
candy, peanut butter, unsweetened banana biscuits, gum biscuits and cocoa jelly. The
production is 100% handcrafted and has great cultural value, as they are made from
raw materials present in the territory following tradition, whose culinary practices are
shared among family members for generations. Conclusion: The preparation of
Technical Preparation Sheets made it possible to standardize regional preparations,
contributing to quality, as well as reducing the waste of raw materials, making use of
available resources in the region, reducing costs, local development and preserving
cultural identity preparations made by the cooperative.