Viajando nos saberes e sabores: memória, identidade e patrimônio do Seridó como ação indutora do turismo local

Abstract

Having supported the socialcultural context that reveals the regional gastronomic patrimony as the translator of identity and symbol of its people, the present research had as general objective of the study, to analyze from three gastronomic preparations identity of the region of Seridó, memory, identity and the patrimonial safeguard of the place as an inductive action of the local tourism. In this attempt, the historical, affective and gustatory memories of the region were visited and revisited, at which point, specifically, it was sought: to identify if in the Seridó region there was strong identity if this gastronomic heritage of the Seridó region has been inducing local tourism, and to verify if this intangible gastronomic good is being safeguarded by some protective instrument or action. For that, the qualitative approach was used, being a study of the case in loco in the ambit of the city of Caicó, as a representation of the region for being considered as geosymbol identity of the food of Seridó, from the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The research was exploratory and descriptive, with the accomplishment of bibliographic research. As a data collection instrument, a standardized interview script was used contemplating nine open questions as the use of three dimensions of analyzes: identity, patrimonial protection and gastronomic tourism incentive. As a problem issue of the study, it has been elaborated: how memory, identity and patrimonial protection of Seridó have been dialoguing in the construction and strengthening of local tourism? As main results of the research, it is highlighted that although it has been revealed, Seridó is legitimized by its knowledges and flavors, there is a contradictory relation, a tendency to the fragmentation of identity, that has been threatening the region in its personifying heart. In these terms, it was observed in the case of the dry sweet, that had almost disappeared from the region, an indicative of the local problematic. The study also observed how the dialogue between tourism and the gastronomy of Seridó shows that although there is potential in the area of observation, in which there are diverse natural and cultural beauties and a strong and differentiated gastronomy, it is an activity based on this still incipient and deficient dialogue. In addition, in this place was found a protective, legal and institutional gap of its patrimony causing this state of danger of patrimonial loss and identity. In the end, it can be concluded that there is a lack of satisfactory planning in the use of the actions carried out based on the endogenous development, teaching the unknowns the importance of their food as an identifying element of societies and a lack of use of mechanisms available for promotion and protection activities. Observing, this way, a space and opportunities to obtain regional development wrapped in sustainability of the tourist activity in symbiosis with the gastronomic.