Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Indigenous foodways play an important role in shaping local ecologies and territories. I propose the concept of “keystone foods,” which I define as a species consumed and commercialized that is central to cultural identity and local ecology, as a contribution to how local foodways co-constitute territories. Through participant observation and ethnographic interviews, I outline the case study of a seaweed in Chile called kollof, or cochayuyo, that is key to the ecological and cultural reproduction of Lafkenche Indigenous coastal foodscapes. I argue that keystone foods can lead us to deeper understandings of how Indigenous foodways co-constitute local territories.
Source: Ecology and Society
Author: Cari Tusing
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $975
OpenAlex ID: W7119502901