Characterization of the gastronomy of the city of Córdoba: Demographic influence

Abstract

Córdoba's gastronomy is characterized by the excellency of the typical dishes found in this city. Based on the above, a survey of the population has been promoted to permit us to obtain information on the recognition of 11 traditional dishes in Córdoba's cuisine, along with their frequency and place of consumption, discriminated per sex, age groups, social stratum and geographical location. The influence of the survey method (by interviewer and on-line) was also studied. The questionnaire consisted of 32 questions divided into 3 sections. The first was on the classification factors of the interviewee, the second on the identification and assessment of the traditional Córdoba dishes, and, finally, there was a section to establish the frequency and place of the consumption of each dish. Thus, 1509 surveys were made in which the most typical Córdoba gastronomy dishes were identified: “salmorejo” by 96% of the interviewees, “flamenquín” by 84% and oxtail by 73%. Also, it was also possible to find out that salmorejo and flamenquín are mainly consumed in homes during the whole year, whereas oxtail is consumed less frequently and, generally, when receiving guests from outside Córdoba. For each question asked, the effect of the demographic factors of classification was verified by χ 2 tests. The validity of on-line surveys for this type of study has been recognized provided that factors like the proportionality of sex and the provenance of the interviewees are controlled.