Food and the fabric of home : introduction

Food and foodways are a site of dwelling and 'being' in the world. The ways food smells, feels, tastes and is cooked motivate emotion and memory in a more powerful way than other reminders of home and the places we inhabit. Studying the fabric of home through food in migration contexts entails considering the role food plays in the circulation of people, goods, capital and values. It also necessitates examining its impact on the people that migrate as much as it does on the people already living in host societies. A rather under-explored site from where to address the interplay of food, home and migration are food writings such as essays and scholarly works, as they contribute in particular ways to the fabric of home. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.