Cecina de Leon: The production, consumption and cultural representation of a Spanish traditional food in a global economy

A cured beef product from northwestern Spain, Cecina de León , began to be marketed worldwide in 1993. This event marked the final stages of its transformation from a foodstuff produced by peasants for domestic consumption since the fourteenth century, to one produced industrially and marketed globally. Cecina was awarded an European Union Protected Geographical Indication attesting to its artisanship. Cecina's trajectory of product differentiation, based on notions of authenticity, is peculiar to post-industrial processes of regionalization and globalization.; This project investigated the contrast in representations of authenticity and tradition between industrial producers marketing cecina globally and domestic producers preparing cecina for home consumption. Questions raised included how artisans re-organized production to increase volume and meet quality standards while retaining authenticity; how cecina consumption affected formation of identity; how various interest groups drew on tradition to market cecina, re-affirm identity, define goals, and represent cecina.; One year of research was conducted in the province of León from 1999 to 2000. Contemporary anthropological theories provided a framework for understanding the local implications of cecina's transformation. Data on cecina were collected and analyzed from household and industry interviews, an industrial and household survey, field observations of behavior and discourse, and documents.; Results showed cecina firms re-organized production in three ways. One was oriented to national and global markets while meeting minimum certified standards of quality and authenticity. Another was similarly oriented but exceeded these minimum standards. The third was oriented to national markets but with minimal concern for certification standards.; Local producers and consumers employed tradition to increase the marketability of cecina and to re-affirm their regional identity in the global economy. The politics of representation of cecina underscored the struggle between domestic and industrial groups to define Leonese identity in recent history.; Investigating a single agricultural product demonstrated how locals responded to the competitive global economy by commodifying tradition in the form of cecina, and transforming it into cultural capital. Local, regional, and global players have negotiated the meanings of cecina and its claims to authenticity. In conclusion, industrializing and globally marketing traditional foodstuffs has facilitated cultural construction and reinforced regional identity.