Local, authentique, durable : la gastronomie entre ancrage territorial et dynamiques globales.

Une introduction

Abstract

Since the early twenty-first century, ecological, economic, and geopolitical crises have intensified challenges related to food systems, reshaping dietary practices and individual relationships with the environment. Sustainable food consumption has emerged as a priority, particularly through the valorisation of local food systems, traditions, and cultural diversity – a perspective formalised by the FAO’s 2010 definition of “sustainable diets”. This approach intersects with the concept of “nutrition transition” and its sociocultural development, now integrated within broader ecological transition frameworks.

Sustainable gastronomy, recognised by the United Nations since 2016, represents an engaged cultural practice wherein cooking and eating become ethically conscious acts. The rise of neo-localism – a deliberate search for territorial traditions and place-based values – emerges as a reaction to globalisation-induced standardisation. This special issue arises from the itinerant cycle “Gastronomie durable et terroirs au prisme des langues-cultures” (2023–2025), which fostered interdisciplinary exchange among language scholars. The contributions explore gastronomy at the intersection of globalisation and ecological transitions, interrogating how the concepts of “local”, “authentic”, and “sustainable” are constructed in discourse, revealing complex socio-economic, cultural, and identity-related stakes.