Smoked meat and tradition: Popularity, notoriety, and quality perception

Abstract

Debate about artisanal products has been on the rise, stemming from initiatives that seek to preserve local food traditions, while dealing with health concerns. In Brazil, smoked meat (Portuguese: carne de fumeiro) is a kind of smoked pork, typical in the town of Maragogipe, in the Northeastern state of Bahia, also popular in other regions. The objective of this study was to understand the popularity and notoriety of smoked meat, as well as the perception of sanitary quality, from the consumers’ perspective and practices. A descriptive study was carried out, which involved consumers residing in municipalities in Bahia, with data collection through an online questionnaire and data treatment by descriptive statistics and association tests. 378 consumers participated in the study, of which 48% purchased the product in supermarkets, highlighting flavor/aroma (25.7%) as the factor that most influenced the choice. As for consumption practices, participants reported consuming this meat at home or in bars and restaurants, the main ways of preparing it being fried (36.9%), roasted (22.5%) or as an ingredient in preparations (22.4%) such as farofa, feijoada and puree. Despite its popularity, 40.2% indicated that the product could pose some risk to health, with an association with the need for labeling (p < 0.027), as a way of guaranteeing the identification of origin, shelf life and inspection of the product. Participants also mentioned the possibility of risks present in meat, such as bacteria (30%) and chemical substances (20.1%). The findings show the popularity of smoked meat, expressing its potential as a geographical indication, while pointing out to the perception of sanitary risks, signaling the need for regulation and quality control, aiming to promote its notoriety and market expansion.