Gastro Diplomacy and French Cuisine:Towards Divining a Gastro-Cultural Heritage between Paris and Puducherry

Abstract

Puducherry has a unique ambience of colonial culture and ethnicity because of its connections with France for more than 138 years, creating a niche for heritage and gastronomical practices till today that stands as a living monument of French culture. France’s greatest treasure is its rich cuisine. The French have an ongoing love affair with food and beverages and their reverence in eating is evident throughout the world especially in Puducherry. French cuisine is one of the most popular types of food for its quality attracts several visitors to eat and talk a lot of all ages because of a homely social life in restaurants. There are two traditions running through French cooking, la hautecuisine as practised by the great chefs and restaurants and la cuisineregionale which consists of the natural specialities utilising the best local and seasonal ingredients. The notable aspect in the faculty of history is the study of heritage where food takes centre stage in revealing the nuances of culture and where Paris is the gastronomical capital of the world. French food is unique, a cultural experience that moulds flavourful, nutritious food with beauty, leisure, and therapeutic preparations. The symbolism inherent in any shared meal has the ability not only to create relationships between the countries and difficult to define them as well. As ubiquitous tools in the art of statecraft, diplomatic meals give participants and planners the opportunity to predict, identify, and fully understand the subtle messages such occasions create. A solid understanding of the semiotics of diplomatic gastronomy will allow researchers to decode and analyze state dinners and other diplomatically significant meals. The present study emphasises on French food as a heritage product and how stereotypical French dishes are still prevalent among the peoples of Puducherry inculcating a sense of pride. How French food becomes Unique Selling Preposition (USP) as well as the identity of the destination for the rich experiences creating added value for the cultural promotion is analysed. The paper deals with primary and secondary sources of information and the findings of the study will showcase the rich French legacy and lifestyle of the peoples of Puducherry.