Making Typicality: The Birth and Rebirth of the Torta Mattone of Bressana Bottarone, Italy

Fontefrancesco, Michele Filippo

Abstract

This article addresses the concept of “typicality” in community products, proposing a performative interpretation of this category. It ethnographically demonstrates how identifying products as “typical” is a process that involves a community in constructing both the product and its meaning. To illustrate this, this study delves into the case of Torta Mattone from Bressana Bottarone (PV) and its history. It highlights how, over 50 years, this dessert has been created and recreated as a symbol of the community in response to the pressing needs it faced amidst socio-economic changes. In doing so, this paper details its micro-gastronomic history, illustrating how the Torta Mattone has become instrumental in maintaining the social and cultural cohesion of the Oltrepo Pavese area.

Citation

Fontefrancesco, M. F. (2024). Making Typicality: The Birth and Rebirth of the Torta Mattone of Bressana Bottarone, Italy. Societies, 14(5), Article 72. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14050072

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 15, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 17, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-05
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 13, 2024
• Journal: Societies
• Electronic ISSN: 2075-4698
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 5
• Article Number: 72
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14050072
• Keywords: food anthropology, local food, Italy, local development, typicality
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2480541