The cultural value of food and the specificity of ingredients in a particular area, expressed through the tradition of dining, have in recent years played an essential role in the understanding of authentic lifestyles
In the past, but also today, the need for food precedes the needs of diplomacy, opening up avenues of trade that have today been shaped by the global economic scene. Food was once a means of payment, while it today symbolises prestige and a special form of non-verbal communication, in which the provision of food and drink services has grown into the concept of gastronomic diplomacy.
The gastronomic diplomacy concept is built on the specific foundations of the produce of national cuisine and the universality of experience during their consumption. Conceived as far back as the 1770s, when French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin claimed that “the fate of nations has often been sealed at banquets”.
The concept is old, but the terminology of the concept is new and emerges at a time when individual states and nations decide to incorporate gastronomy into their public diplomacy strategies.
The term symbolises the ways in which nations utilise food as part of their intention to promote their own culture and local food industry, to attract tourists and build national relations with the international public. Gastronomic diplomacy is an exceptionally powerful way of conveying the cultural assets of a nation through the presenting of national gastronomic products that illustrate tradition, the culture of nutritional values and lifestyles, thus conveying a certain symbolism. The symbolism of food can be used in the exchange of ideas, values, identities and attitudes.
The need for food precedes the needs of diplomacy, opening up avenues of trade that have today been shaped by the global economic scene. Food was once a means of payment, while it today symbolises prestige and a special form of non-verbal communication, in which the provision of food and drink services has grown into the concept of gastronomic diplomacy
In the hospitality sector, as a service industry, constant changes occur as a result of changes in life dynamics and technical and technological advancements. Considering the specifics and qualitative requirements of providing food and beverage service in hospitality facilities, we at the METRO HoReCa Centre carefully select the professional novelties that we pass on to attendees of our training events, workshops, and other activities related to gastronomy.