Mulheres e doces: o saber-fazer na cidade de Pelotas

This study examines the confectionary industry of the City of Pelotas in southern Brazil. These sweets are presented as gourmet creations (or on trays) and fruit sweets (or colonial sweets). The origin of this female-oriented confectionary expertise can be found among the young daughters of large ranchowners and jerked beef manufacturers. This know-how was acquired and developed when, because of a crisis in the beef jerky market, it was necessary to find other sources of income to maintain a healthy domestic budget. The interviewees revealed, from reported memories, that the confectionery had (and has) a strong memory-body connection; either through familiar movements and gestures, or through visual or olfactory memory.