Paper short abstract:

Despite social progress and public policies, the food heritage of the poor sections of the population continues to be invisible: still today, the culinary preparation of scarcity time, like sweet-blooded chouriço, are now valued with the heritage process, but the knowledge holders are still excluded

Paper long abstract:

In Brazil, the advances achieved during the first decade of the twenty one century, such as the defense of diffuse legal assets, affirmative action programs, or the fight against hunger in synchrony with international political agendas have resulted, in a little less than twenty years, to a new reality for 25 million people who came out of poverty. Others consequences was the promotion of sustainable agriculture and the defense of the environment, the right to healthy food and the promotion of the intangible heritage. However, the promotion of the culture of traditional populations has not always had the expected results. We will take the example of the sweet-blooded chouriço in sertão, a region in the northeastern of Brazil, to demonstrate that despite social progress and public policies, the food heritage of the poor sections of the population continues to be invisible. The sertão, which is a historically poor region, has experienced shortages and prolonged droughts, that has long been ignored by public authorities. Still today, the black cooks prepare the traditional dishes, made with little valued pieces, which are now gourmet and sold to tourists in the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal. The culinary preparation of times of scarcity are now valued with the heritage process, but the knowledge holders are still excluded.