Abstract

For man, food has never been only the raw material used to satisfy the physiological necessity of nutrition but an important factor in the formation of cultural identity. In fact, food is a sign of identification that refers to the culture of a people. After the important food issues discussed during the EXPO 2015, the topic was again the subject of national interest in culture. The Ministry of cultural heritage has declared 2018 as the year of Italian food. The present work moves from this premise. The analysis embraces the themes of art and culture with those of food and nutrition. In fact, art and food are the main cultural attractions of Italy. The target is to map the taste museums in Italy. In the past, taste museums was inusual. Nowadays, the spreading of taste museums in the country is the answer to a careful and exacting cultural demand that is not limited only to admire the natural and historical beauty of the country, but wants to capture the essence of Italian territory and identity throught exploration of the enogastronomic senses and flavors. In the era of globalization, of fast food, of the proliferation of gastronomic talent shows, of the spreading of fashions and food influencers, the taste museums represent a recall of quality and tradition and a return, desired by someone, to localism.