Veranstaltungen und Termine

Cornelia Gerhardt, Saarland University: The better choice? Exgredients like ‘gluten-free’ and addgredients like ‘protein-boosted’

In vegan recipes, not only animal products are omitted, but also other substances such as gluten, refined sugar or soy. Reasons for substituting these include allergies, intolerances, ecological concerns, ethical reasons, personal food choices or (pseudo)-scientific reasons. 

These accounts normalize the substitution of items, socially construct what I call "exgredients"—ingredients to be omitted—and frame requests for alternative preparations as acceptable behavior. Exgredients are constructed as “the better choice” in a variety of present-day food discourses, (vegan) food blogs, packaging, or signs on restaurant windows. These positively charged exgredients mirror the value systems of the food community producing this discourse.

This lecture discusses the use of exgredients and their counterpart – addgredients. 
 

Target group: Studierende, Beschäftigte aus der Wissenschaft