Mulheres e cadernos de receitas : escritas, memórias e partilhas de saberes em Ciríaco/RS.

Abstract

The dissertation "Women and Recipe Notebooks: Writings, Memories, and Shared Knowledge in Ciríaco/RS" investigates recipe notebooks as spaces for transmitting culinary knowledge, memory, and cultural resistance among women in a rural community in Rio Grande do Sul. These written records go beyond the practical function of documenting recipes, playing a fundamental role in constructing collective identity, affirming female protagonism, and valuing intergenerational knowledge. The academic relevance of this study lies at the intersection of education, food, and memory, addressing recipe notebooks not only as material objects but as active elements of cultural transmission and informal learning. This research contributes to discussions on non-formal education, popular knowledge, and the role of women in preserving culinary traditions. Socially, the study highlights the importance of culinary practices in forming community and emotional bonds, encouraging reflections on the recognition of domestic labor and women's narratives in rural contexts. The dissertation's central objective is to understand how culinary knowledge is recorded, shared, and re-signified across generations through recipe notebooks. The methodology is qualitative, based on field research with semi-structured interviews, document analysis of the notebooks, and participant observation. The selection of participants followed the criterion of relevance in local culinary practices, using the snowball sampling technique. The analyses are grounded in theoretical frameworks discussing social memory, popular education, and food culture. The results indicate that recipe notebooks function as teaching-learning tools, strengthening intergenerational bonds and allowing the continuity of traditionally undervalued female knowledge. Additionally, these records reflect adaptation processes to new sociocultural conditions, demonstrating both continuity and transformation in culinary practices. Women's narratives reveal that cooking and recording recipes are also acts of agency and identity, serving as forms of resistance and cultural appreciation. The study concludes that the recipe notebooks of the women in Ciríaco/RS represent much more than simple culinary compilations; they are living documents that bear witness to histories, relationships, and affections, reaffirming the kitchen's role as a space for sharing, learning, and cultural continuity.