Saint's food - the food offering as a way of caring and worshiping in African-based religions

Abstract

This research project aims to interpret the role that food offerings, or "saint foods", play in the cosmoperception of African-based religions by analyzing the ritualistic processes that involve: 1. The relationship between entities and their preferred votive foods; 2. The preparation of these in the ritual kitchen (choice of ingredients, preparation techniques, people consecrated for this) and, 3. The process of offering in the terreiro and outside it (forms, places and times of delivery). For this purpose, the research proposes carrying out participant observation in the terreiros and interviews with the main agents involved in this process: leaders (babalorixás and ialorixás), iabassê (ritual cook), ebomis (senior initiates) and iaôs (recent initiates). It will address the food system of Candomblé and Umbanda, the two best-known models of African-based religions, focusing on offerings to deities such as orixás, erês, caboclos, pretos-velhos, Bahians, cowboys, gypsies, sailors, exus, pombagiras, rascals, among other entities