Menus as Instruments for Communicating Endogenous Products

The case of Restaurants in Pousadas de Portugal

Resumo

Restaurant menus can be much more than the presentation of dishes, they can showcase a set of endogenous products, while at the same time allowing the customer to get to know a little more about the territory, through gastronomy. When done well, menus can be instruments for promoting gastronomic tourism, taking customers on authentic journeys through the flavours and knowledge of the territory. The main aim of this paper is to identify how endogenous products are being communicated in menus, using the case study of Pousadas de Portugal restaurants for this purpose. The menus of three restaurants were analysed using a grid that made it possible to identify which endogenous products were presented and how this information was transmitted to the customer. The analysis allowed us to conclude that all the restaurants offer contemporary regional cuisine representative of the territories in which they are located. All menus feature short, interesting stories about some of the dishes. The word "Regional" appears several times on the menus and the dishes' names mention some territories. To complement the analysis, 25 chefs were surveyed, who were asked about the importance of including local products in their menus. Promoting these products can help preserve and showcase the unique cultural identity of a region and can contribute to sustainable development and environmental conservation.