Foodie
Encyclopedia
Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food
and drink
. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.
s in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.
, wineries and wine tasting
, breweries and beer sampling, food science
, following restaurant
openings and closings and occasionally reopenings, food distribution
, food fads, health
and nutrition
, cooking classes, culinary tourism
, and restaurant management
. A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the best egg cream
or burrito
. Many publications have food column
s that cater to foodies. Interest by foodies in the 1980s and 1990s gave rise to the Food Network and other specialized food programming, popular films and television shows about food such as Top Chef
and Iron Chef
, a renaissance in specialized cookbooks, specialized periodicals such as Gourmet Magazine
and Cook's Illustrated
, growing popularity of farmers' markets, food-oriented websites like Zagat's and Yelp, publishing and reading food blogs, specialized kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma
and Sur La Table
, and the institution of the celebrity chef
. There is also a growing market for culinary tourism
, with tours led by operators such as Aspiring Adventures
in Peru, and Zest Food Tours of New Zealand.
and the author of the The Achewood Cookbook, stated a dislike for the term. Onstad said "There are so many words that already describe the concept of people who like food, or enjoy cooking, or enjoy knowing about cooking. "Foodie": It's like the infantile diminutive -- you put a "y" on the end of everything to make it childlike, or it could just denote cordial familiarity, as when my friends from Brooklyn call me "joey", a diminutive for sure, but one that also conveys affection. Perhaps,we don't need it but I believe it has a certain familiar funkiness to it that resonates with many. "I'm a foodie, and proud of it."
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and drink
Drink
A drink, or beverage, is a liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to fulfilling a basic human need, beverages form part of the culture of human society.-Water:...
. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.
Distinguished from gourmet
Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, foodies differ from gourmetGourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
s in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.
Pursuits
Foodies are a distinct hobbyist group. Typical foodie interests and activities include the food industryFood industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
, wineries and wine tasting
Wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards...
, breweries and beer sampling, food science
Food science
Food science is a study concerned with all technical aspects of foods, beginning with harvesting or slaughtering, and ending with its cooking and consumption, an ideology commonly referred to as "from field to fork"...
, following restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
openings and closings and occasionally reopenings, food distribution
Food distribution
Food distribution, a method of distributing or transporting food or drink from one place to another, is a very important factor in public nutrition. Where it breaks down, famine, malnutrition or illness can occur...
, food fads, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, cooking classes, culinary tourism
Culinary tourism
Culinary tourism or food tourism is experiencing the food of the country, region or area, and is now considered a vital component of the tourism experience...
, and restaurant management
Restaurant management
Restaurant management is the profession of managing a restaurant. Associate, bachelor, and graduate degree programs are offered in restaurant management by community colleges, junior colleges, and some universities in the United States.-Floor management:...
. A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the best egg cream
Egg cream
An egg cream is a beverage consisting of chocolate syrup, milk, and soda water, probably dating from the late 19th century, and is especially associated with Brooklyn, home of its alleged inventor, candy store owner Louis Auster. It contains neither eggs, cream, nor ice cream.The egg cream is...
or burrito
Burrito
A burrito , or taco de harina, is a type of Mexican food. It consists of a wheat flour tortilla wrapped or folded around a filling. The flour tortilla is usually lightly grilled or steamed, to soften it and make it more pliable. In Mexico, refried beans or meat are sometimes the only fillings...
. Many publications have food column
Food column
A food column is a type of newspaper column dealing with food. It may be focused on recipes, health trends, or improving efficiency. It is generally geared towards gourmets or "foodies". Since 1994, food writers have also written columns and blogs on the web...
s that cater to foodies. Interest by foodies in the 1980s and 1990s gave rise to the Food Network and other specialized food programming, popular films and television shows about food such as Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
and Iron Chef
Iron Chef
is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...
, a renaissance in specialized cookbooks, specialized periodicals such as Gourmet Magazine
Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
and Cook's Illustrated
Cook's Illustrated
Cook's Illustrated is an American cooking magazine published by America's Test Kitchen in Brookline, Massachusetts, every two months. It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions; the magazine also conducts thorough evaluations of kitchen...
, growing popularity of farmers' markets, food-oriented websites like Zagat's and Yelp, publishing and reading food blogs, specialized kitchenware stores like Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions...
and Sur La Table
Sur La Table
Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held American retail company based in Seattle, Washington, that sells kitchenware products, including cookware, cutlery, cooks' tools, small electrics, tabletop and linens, bakeware, glassware and bar, housewares, food and outdoor...
, and the institution of the celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
. There is also a growing market for culinary tourism
Culinary tourism
Culinary tourism or food tourism is experiencing the food of the country, region or area, and is now considered a vital component of the tourism experience...
, with tours led by operators such as Aspiring Adventures
Aspiring Adventures
Aspiring Adventures is a small group adventure travel company with operations in South America , New Zealand, Australia, and Vanuatu....
in Peru, and Zest Food Tours of New Zealand.
Viewpoints on the word
Chris Onstad, author of the webcomic AchewoodAchewood
Achewood is a webcomic created by Chris Onstad in 2001. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. Many of the characters live together in the home of their owner, Chris, at the fictional address of 62 Achewood Court. Another address used in the strip is 11...
and the author of the The Achewood Cookbook, stated a dislike for the term. Onstad said "There are so many words that already describe the concept of people who like food, or enjoy cooking, or enjoy knowing about cooking. "Foodie": It's like the infantile diminutive -- you put a "y" on the end of everything to make it childlike, or it could just denote cordial familiarity, as when my friends from Brooklyn call me "joey", a diminutive for sure, but one that also conveys affection. Perhaps,we don't need it but I believe it has a certain familiar funkiness to it that resonates with many. "I'm a foodie, and proud of it."
See also
- FoodingFoodingFooding is an art of cooking and/or eating. The word fooding is a contraction of the word "food" and "feeling". This neologism, invented in 1999 by the French journalists Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin, is also the name of a guide, edited in partnership with Libération, and happenings, for...
- FoodpairingFoodpairingFoodpairing is a method for identifying which foods go well together. The method is based on the principle that foods combine well with one another when they share key flavor components. Foodpairing is a relatively new method and is often confused with "wine and food pairing", which is the practice...
- Gastronomic hierarchyGastronomic hierarchyThe Gastronomic hierarchy is a philosophy in Gastronomy that associates a particular title with individuals that enjoy food and drink.At the bottom of the hierarchy is the Goinfre and at the top is the Gastronome....
- GourmandGourmandA gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food. The word has different connotations from the similar word gourmet, which emphasises an individual with a highly refined discerning palate, but in practice the two terms are closely linked, as both imply the enjoyment of good food.An older...
- GourmetGourmetGourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...