The Soft Power Of Gastro-Diplomacy

At the beginning of the 21st century, gastronomy began to consolidate itself as an instrument of cultural diplomacy for the international projection of nation states. This has had a positive impact on the promotion strategy in areas such as tourism, trade, and what is called ‘marca país’ (Colombia country brand).

Thailand and South Korea were at the forefront of promoting gastronomy as a national endeavor in the early 2000s, defining it as an instrument of their foreign policy. Subsequently, Mexico and Peru stood out for their decisive commitment to the topic, aimed at achieving worldwide recognition of their national dishes.

It is from these events that the term ‘gastrodiplomacy’ began to appear in the field of international affairs, usually associated with the concept of soft power. The term is attributed to the American political scientist Joseph Nye*, who highlights culture as one of the essential resources to influence the behavior of others, promoting one’s own interests and changing the preferences and opinions of others.

Gastro-diplomacy uses food and cooking to promote understanding, appreciation, and respect for other cultures.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by means of the Plan for the Promotion of Colombia Abroad (PPCE for its abbreviation in Spanish), created in 1983, seeks to develop activities in the fields of music, cinema, literature, performing arts, visual arts, and gastronomy with the purpose of promoting the foreign policy objectives of the Colombian State.

Within the framework of the PPCE, gastronomy has occupied a special place due to the extraordinary reception it has had from the international community. In conjunction with the missions of Colombia abroad, more than 60 countries have been reached by the cooks and researchers of Colombian cuisine that accompany this initiative.

Activities have included workshops in the most renowned cooking schools around the world; master classes at prestigious universities and museums; conversations with chefs and importers of Colombian products; participation in international culinary programs; interviews with well-respected journalists, photographers, and food influencers; collaborative cooking sessions in the best international restaurants; and street food and farmers’ market tours.

* Nye, Joseph, Jr. 2008. “Public Diplomacy and Soft Power”, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. vol. 616, no. 1.

QR Gastro-diplomacy Reel

All of this is the result of various planning actions started by the “Gastro-diplomacy Design Thinking” workshop, whose main objective was to put together the handbook for these activities based on the experiences of an interdisciplinary audience.

This is how our culinary richness has been made visible: the diversity of the Colombian pantry, ancestral cuisines of different regions of the country, and innovative processes characteristic of contemporary cuisine.

It is interesting to see that these actions have allowed us to recognize the great variety and abundance of ingredients the country has, its multiple climatic conditions, and the development of a diversified national agriculture, as well as the existence of lands with high productive capacity, which serve as evidence of our biodiverse character.

It is also important to note that thanks to these actions it has been possible to disseminate the best of Colombian gastronomy on a global scale, with recipes and ideas based on the safeguarding of regional traditions such as those found in the kitchens of the Caribbean, Pacific, Sabana, Santanderes, Llanos Orientales, Valle del Cauca, Amazonia, La Guajira, and the coffee region, among others.

In the following pages, readers will find a selection of recipes created for activities that were carried out within the framework of the PPCE. They will also find QR codes through which they can access additional content, such as each activity’s digital recipe and complementary video.