THE ROMANIAN TRADITIONAL OVEN: CULTURAL PRACTICES AND SIGNIFICATIONS

Abstract

Our paper aims to respond to the cultural need of asserting cultural identity by rediscovering Romanian food-related practices and meanings in association with a traditional cooking facility, the oven. More specifically, it is an attempt to present the Romanian traditional oven as a cultural object in relation to practices of cooking food, tools used in food preparation and the time of the day/month/year when a certain dish is made, in order to reveal deep meanings that are part of the traditions and identity of the Romanian people.

Our broader aim is to promote aspects of Romanian cultural life from the visible and invisible Romanian cultural heritage at an international level. The premise is that, in the area of cultural food heritage, more than in any other domain, each community has layers of popular knowledge accumulated historically, as a result of the interaction with the environment and the living conditions, many of these supported by a solid scientific basis. Due to the cultural transmission from one generation to another, traditional knowledge acquires the character of historical continuity of using resources. Rediscovering them does not contrast with the idea of progress but, on the contrary, includes it.

The research methodology combines methods of cultural and ethnographic studies: scientific documentation based on reference literature and field survey.