Gastronomia afrodisíaca: imaginário coletivo e potencial de mercado.

Abstract

Aphrodisiacs are named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite, who is believed to be the goddess of love, fertility and seduction. The idea of eating, food and pleasure, correlate with the act of eating, and it is possible to find erotic connotations. Food is when food is given symbolism, and pleasure is when you are allowed to eat that food, where, how and when you want it. The points of similarity and opposition of the terms: aphrodisiac, erotic and hedonist were well explored in the text, and some of the aphrodisiacs that have an inverse character to aphrodisia are also addressed. Aphrodisiac foods have imagination as their impulse and their effect depends on the individual's perception, and can be classified into three groups: exotic/suggestive, stimulant/functional and analogous/association. Gastronomy, on the other hand, represents the interaction between the environment, food, company and food, that is, it is based on the junction of environmental and psychological aspects. As for the pleasure of eating, this is the need of a will that has to be satisfied, needing hunger or appetite. Pleasure at the table, on the other hand, is independent of hunger, and is born of several factors present in the meal. In relation to the imaginary, it consists of something that goes beyond the individual and permeates the collective. The objective was to present and identify, based on the available literature, what aphrodisiac elements are about, whether they are foods or the gastronomic concept, and to analyze what is present in the collective imagination of the residents of Recife and the Metropolitan Region of Recife - RMR, as well as as well as F&B professionals. Therefore, the methodology applied for the research was a qualitative approach by bibliographic survey using several databases. An online questionnaire and interviews with F&B professionals were also applied. Fifty-seven people participated in the online form, of which 71.9% were female and resident of the city of Recife. Regarding aphrodisia, depending on the memory and psychological factor of the individuals, and among the foods belonging to the local popular imagination, there are peanuts (29), chocolate (14), pepper (19), oysters and seafood (25), in addition to alcohol (wine and catuaba), fruits (strawberry, banana, avocado, etc.) and spices (7) as considered aphrodisiacs by the participants. As for the interviewees, the view regarding the marketing potential of aphrodisiac gastronomy in Recife was verified, and there was a consensus in the idea that aphrodisiacs are a good device on commemorative dates and an appeal that is little explored in Pernambuco. Based on the bibliographic survey carried out, it is concluded that there is no single food that has the ability to promote aphrodisiac stimuli in humans; not even a specific aroma, much less a song or an action/attitude, but the sum of several elements that make it possible to create an aphrodisiac atmosphere.