Ancestral Cooking Techniques Preserved and Applied to Magdalena Centro Region Gastronomy (Cundinamarca, Colombia)

Abstract

The ancestral cooking techniques serve as regional historical testimonies; traditional cookware, flames, and each recipe passed down from generation to generation tell a story that traces back to the pre-Columbian tribes that inhabited this land. Culinary customs reveal profound connections between people and the land they have inhabited for centuries. Exploring ancestral cooking techniques through a qualitative methodology, with ethnographic approach, in the gastronomy of Magdalena Centro in the department of Cundinamarca (Colombia) is a journey through time and an immersion into culture. The methodology focused on researching ancestral culinary knowledge, delving into cooking techniques. It conducted field visits over a period of 12 months, including structured and semi-structured interviews with regional cooks classified as experts, as well as local cooks who contributed their concepts and knowledge. The purpose is to preserve the intangible culinary heritage and, additionally, to understand the historical influence on regional gastronomy and lay the groundwork for promoting culinary tourism. It identified preserved techniques such as steam cooking, roasting, boiling, leaf cooking, earth cooking, stone cooking, and smoking with aromatic herbs, adapted to contemporary environmental conditions. The exploration of cooking techniques in the Magdalena Centro region, contextualized by the historical presence of tribes such as the Muiscas, Laches, and Guayupes, reveals a journey through gastronomic evolution. The intersection of ancestral culinary practices with contemporary demands has been marked by the adaptation of these techniques. Interviews and analyses of encounters, discussions, and talks demonstrate that from pre-Columbian earth cooking methods to the transition to modern stoves, cuisine has been shaped by a growing awareness of sustainability and energy efficiency, without forgetting ancestral heritage.