I'm reading a book called Small Batch Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, Spirits, and the return of Artisanal Foods by Suzanne Cope and the start of the book questions, what does the word 'artisanal' mean?
Personally, I never really thought about how I would define artisanal, but my first thoughts on whether something is artisanal or not is that it is made by hand, with ingredients that are unique in some way from the norm.
Cope goes into the history of small batch artisanal foods, mentions how the term is not regulated, and even large corporations are using the term. It didn't really occur to me until I read this, but I did buy some crackers made by Dare that had the word Artisanal on it. When I bought it, the sweet potatoes and ancient grains (that term is also used frequently now) was what appealed to me. But I now wonder how much of an influence the word 'Artisanal' on the package has on the choice made by consumers. I would still buy the crackers as they were okay tasting, but I question the use of the word on their packaging.
The word also had come up in a recent web article I read on soy milk by a food writer I started following. Wei "hesitates to call soymilk-making an artisanal, small-batch practice, even though inherently, that is what it is in China and Taiwan." Again, what does 'artisanal' mean? I think not all small-batches are artisanal but are all artisanal products small batch? Cope starts to go into the discussion of whether a product that is artisanal and once was small batch can move to a larger scale of operation and still be artisanal.
As I read through this book, I'm sure there is much more to say about the term 'artisanal' and whether there could be a clearly defined term especially as the food world is changing so rapidly these days. Would love to hear your definitions or thoughts on the term 'artisanal'!
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Normally, I'd try to translate a sentence or paragraph but instead finding the proper word in Chinese that would represent 'artisanal', there were various terms I found. Here are a couple:
手工藝工人 is craftsman or artisan...手工 is literally hand and work together while 藝 is skill or trade.
能工巧匠 ...巧 (qiao3) is defined as skillful, ingenious, clever (but also has some negative connotations) ..匠 (jiang4) is an older term for craftsman, artisan it seems. I'll have to see if some of my design magazines use a specific term, please let me know if there are any terms more commonly used :)
Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?
One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up! Thanks!
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up! Thanks!
It is very interesting how words are used to influence. When I first moved to Oz, I was trying really hard to find 100% whole wheat bread but couldn't find it. After doing a bit of research it was because of how they are allowed to define and market products. In Oz, you might be using 100% whole wheat to make the bread but the loaf is only made with say 78% whole wheat, and therefore they can't label it as 100% whole wheat. Interesting eh!
ReplyDeleteFor me, artisanal, the first definition that popped in my head was more related to a product that is made by an artisan, i.e. someone who specializes in a certain product. They could mass produce them but it would still be artisanal. But you're right, it can become quite confusing. Although I really wouldn't call those crackers artisanal. :)
That is interesting to note regarding the use of "100% whole wheat"!
DeleteThanks for your comment on the word artisanal, a person specializing in a certain product is good to add as we do usually think of it as one person or a couple that have come together to create that product. I wouldn't call those crackers artisanal either :)
Personally, if a loaf of bread contained only whole wheat flour and no other types of flour, a 100% claim seems okay. I think it just goes back to being truthful and honest with consumer messaging. Though I suppose a loaf of bread COULD contain just whole wheat flour (minus any water)...??
ReplyDeleteI think something that is described as 'artisanal' must be thoughtfully and expertly crafted. As you mentioned, I also agree there must be a uniqueness to the process or end product. If you're just making something in the standard way, but by hand or in small-batches, I don't think it would be right to call it artisanal. Nor would it be acceptable for a product that simply contained a few premium ingredients, like those crackers.
I like your wording, uniqueness to the process or end product. And yes, just adding premium ingredients doesn't mean it's artisanal which I think this is where it would be easily misused. I'm almost done reading the book and one 'artisanal' or 'craft' distiller added "to be an artisanal producer, the one who makes the product is also the one who controls the money"
DeleteAlso, not sure if a loaf of bread could be made with just flour and water...
DeleteIs it harder to have uniqueness to the process or end product now-a-days? I wonder. I often think that in western culture, we are so lucky to have all these specialty shops now-a-days (burger, sandwich, beverages, etc.) that I often think that there really isn't any meaningful way to differentiate products. For example, is that burger at Burger Priest really that special?
DeleteI agree that it's harder to have that uniqueness because there are so many options out there already (but then again maybe they thought the same thing 5 years ago). I can imagine that where you are living, food and coffee is much more specialized than here? It really depends on what story people gravitate towards. Usually I think with artisanal products, there is one or a couple of people that are the faces behind a product and they have a story that goes along with the product. In terms of specialty products like burgers, I think they can still be specialty if the ingredients for their beef is indeed premium and their toppings differ like the cheese offered. I think if there were lets say 50 other places in the GTA that did the same thing or if it starts to be offered at places like Harvey's or McDonald's, then it is no longer special.
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