Culinary Arts & Meal Science

The multidisciplinary research in Culinary Arts & Meal Science, with its base in social science / humanities, strives to deepen the understanding of people and meetings with meals from a host's perspective. The research is based on craft knowledge with a pracitcal / aesthetic from of both sensory and cultural understanding of preparation, creative development, presentation and taste of meals and treats.

The research interest is in meals outside the home and the development of the growing tourism industry with restaurants and hotels. These are meals consumed during travel and at the destinations, as well as during events and meetings. The research involves eating out in various environments, from fine dining to public meals and ready-made meals.

The role of meal culture in society is highlighted by means of gender, socio-economy and ethnicity. This, as well as ecology, is part of the institution's hallmark, including "the conscious meal" where secure, sustainable and healthy food is a prerequisite for all food production. In the department, the FAMM / Five Aspect Meal Model for planning and analysis of meals is developed, which is applied today by the Swedish National Food Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the public meal sector in Sweden. Research in Culinary Arts at Örebro University comprises three integrated areas, each with a pronounced hosting / hospitality perspective. These are:

• The meal as experience and aesthetic design
• The meal in the community room
• The meal for health, safety and sustainability

Eight dissertations and two licentiate theses in Culinary Arts & Meal Science have been presented, and an additional two dissertations in collaboration with other institutions. The internationally expanding Food Studies area, where food / meals become a lens through which to see various social phenomena, invite further collaborations with other scientific perspectives.