Food Culture in Kosova: Change and Continuity In the Social Dimensions of Meals

This essay examines the food culture of Kosova, focusing primarily on local eating habits and dietary preferences. The essay analyzes food relations in Kosova within the context of broader social issues by investigating case studies of everyday life in Kosova. The anthropology of Southeast Europe can benefit from the study of people’s daily relations and social interactions with food, while also benefiting from a "bottom-up" approach to cultural change rather than a "top-down" approach. The quotidian or “mundane” is a useful lens for examining the influence of sociocultural factors on behavior. This essay argues that shifts in everyday food customs reflect broader transitions and transformations in post-socialist societies. In the case of post-war Kosova, economic and political changes have impacted the availability of and demand for new, more diverse foodstuffs, although it is also clear that food preferences in home settings have remained remarkably consistent.