I shall start out from two aspects of the human relationship to food which seem to be particularly
important: first, the omnivorous nature of man and its multiple implications (the "omnivore's
paradox"); and secondly, the nature of the process of incorporation and the associated
representations (the "incorporation principle"). In doing so, I shall draw heavily on concepts and
ideas presented by one researcher, Paul Rozin, whose work, in my view, provides the to-date
most comprehensive approach to human food selection. It will then become easier to define the
culinary phenomenon and to endeavour to grasp some of its essential functions. In particular, I
shall seek to analyse and interrelate, on the one hand, the processes or procedures of food
identification and, on the other hand, the construction of the eater's identity.