The Heritage Value of Culinary Items: A Rather Skeptical Tale

This philosophical analysis challenges the notion that culinary items, such as the French baguette or gastronomic meals, can bear heritage value akin to sites like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome). The study distinguishes four types of culinary items—consumables (dishes and ingredients) and non-consumables (abstract and concrete)—and argues that heritage value requires a universal, impersonal reason tied to humanity's unfolding. It explores whether such reasons are given from an insider’s or outsider’s perspective, concluding that this distinction significantly influences the scope of culinary items eligible for heritage status. The research employs conceptual analysis to dissect the formal properties of heritage reasons and their implications for cultural and heritage value distinctions.

Engisch, P. (2023). The Heritage Value of Culinary Items: A Rather Skeptical Tale. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 81(4), 539–544. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaac/kpad038