Culinary Diplomacy

Culinary diplomacy (sometimes called gastrodiplomacy) involves the use of foods, beverages, and national/ethnic/regional cuisines as facilitators of domestic and international diplomatic talks. Culinary diplomacy should not be confused with food diplomacy such as international food aid or sanctions. Rather, this term should refer to people invested with a certain amount of political or cultural credibility meeting with others to discuss issues diplomatically with a culinary element prominently featured during their time together. The use of the term diplomat has been applied to both governmental and nongovernmental representatives when considering culinary diplomacy. Historically, the term culinary diplomacy has been used in various ways. A 1935 Hartford Courant article used it to describe disputes between diplomats regarding food and politics. The United States Senate Restaurant that year ...