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Kurinskikh P. The Black Sea Shapsugs: Traditional Cuisine as a Component of Local Ethnic Identity

P. Kurinskikh
Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the RAS
Sochi, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-5756-3643
E-mail: polina_alexandrowna@mail.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The establishment of national parks in Russia and elsewhere has led to the loss of access to territories traditionally used for resource exploitation, shifting the focus toward recreational development. These processes have transformed the subsistence systems and cultures of local ethnic groups, changes that are reflected in their traditional cuisines. This study uses Shapsug food culture as a case study and aims to determine the significance of traditional cuisine in everyday life and its role in self-identification. To examine how the forced transformation of subsistence practices and integration into protected areas affect ethnic identification, the author conducted field studies in six mountain villages located near Sochi National Park. Based on the data obtained, the author identified preserved elements of traditional food culture, key food products, and their roles in the daily lives of local ethnic groups. The study also describes the processes through which individual dishes of traditional cuisine are presented as microbrands and integrated into the recreational development programmes of Sochi National Park. The study found that traditional Adyghe cheese plays a vital role in everyday life and self-presentation, although the recipes and its use in dishes differ in the traditional cuisine of the Shapsugs and in the version presented to tourists.

 

KEYWORDS: anthropology of food, national park anthropology, indigenous peoples, self-identification, ethnic tourism, subsistence culture, ethnic brands

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2026-1(31)-98-129
UDC 394.1(=352.42)+ 316.72

 

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