The keepers of marenda (mid-morning snack): male culinary groups in Stari Grad, Croatia

This paper describes and contextualizes one segment of culinary practices by an older generation of men on the island of Hvar. The practices are not realized as everyday housework, but as part of social practices of free time. In contrast to the routinized everyday female cooking typically described through the concept of caring labor, male culinary practices belong to leisure. Still, the range of meanings that men attribute to private cooking is wide and varied. Without going in detail into the implications of gender roles, this article is an attempt to shed light on male culinary practices and rituals, particularly those related to social life. Their identity potential and importance, as well as significance in the transfer of culinary knowledge, is frequently completely overlooked.