Culinary Practices and Ethnicity (Through Observation Materials and Interviews with Armenians of St. Petersburg)

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of use of culinary culture in the construction and maintenance of ethnic identity. Since the self-definition process is refl ected first and foremost at the language level, the article pays principal attention to narratives of culinary practices. The author examines the contexts in which food is determined as “ethnic” and discusses the question of the interconnection between the ethnic and other identities. Thematic interviews with Armenians of St. Petersburg, collected in 2007–2011, have been used as the main source for the study.