Food and religion

The scholar of religion as a regulation and inspection agent for the production of food consumed by religious people

Abstract

Food and religion are two instances of human life that interact with each other through the constant attribution of meaning to what is not limited to the closure of a mere essential biological activity: the act of eating. The human being can attribute special meaning to things, institute rites, and give a transcendent dimension to everyday life, in addition to holding the competence of producing and formalizing specific practices and rites as a way of having a sacred experience. Such a framework favors going beyond the diversity of meaning of the cultural wealth already in the culinary universe. It is also about investing in food in a religious sense. It means considering the handling and use of food for ritual purposes and the expression of sacred things within a scope of criteria and precepts established by religions. In this horizon, the present approach considers the beginning of the proven relationship between food and religion to discuss how and why this relationship evokes the attention of the study of religion. As a result of our investigation, the need for qualified service in the food sector for religious people is defended. Therefore, it is important to bring to light the professional role to be played by scholars of religion in this specific food segment. Moreover, it is important to affirm, besides the academic universe, a field of professional activity to be widely explored and exercised by scholars of religion.