Regional Gastronomy:

The presence of bauru in the caxiense style

Abstract

The city of Caxias do Sul, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul [Brazil], stands out for its culture marked by its historical background, which dates back to the Italian immigration to southern Brazil in the second half of the 19th century. The present study brings to the discussion how the city, which built its culinary identity from Italic cultural heritage, receives a restaurant that offers as a main dish the so-called “Bauru à Moda Caxiense”, whose ingredients bring together, in addition to bread, cuts of filet mignon, cheese and ham, tomato sauce and, at the end, green sauce, prepared with fresh herbs. The trajectory of the restaurant, inserted in the local gastronomic offer due to the skill of its creator, is reconstructed in this research using Oral History as a methodology. The results of the study show the rescue of the successful process of inclusion of the aforementioned Bauru as a signature dish of the city, including in the tourist offer. The study shows the support of Italic heritage habits that the city preserves, but also the strength of new culinary offerings, with equal prominence in the locality, bringing to analysis the importance of innovation in local traditions.