From Culinary Practice to Foreign Policy: Gastrodiplomacy in the Dominican Republic
This article argues that the Dominican Republic's gastrodiplomacy emerges not from a single national campaign but through dispersed, overlapping initiatives across official, private, and diaspora sectors, highlighting the need for strategic coordination to transform these recurrent culinary practices into a coherent foreign policy tool.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Food has long been a silent ambassador, a way for nations to introduce themselves without saying a word. In the world of international relations, this concept is known as gastrodiplomacy, a strategy where governments use their national cuisine to build bridges, shape how they are perceived, and foster trust with other countries. While some nations have launched massive, highly visible campaigns to promote their food, many others rely on a quieter, more scattered approach. The question researchers are now asking is not just whether food can represent a country, but how a nation can turn the everyday act of serving a meal into a consistent, strategic tool for foreign policy. This is particularly relevant for smaller countries that may not have the vast budgets of global superpowers but possess rich cultural assets and large communities living abroad.
A new study from the Dominican Republic explores exactly how this works in practice. The research, conducted by a diplomat and scholar named Roberto Augusto Gómez Ferstl, looks at how the Caribbean nation uses its food in its diplomatic work. Instead of searching for a single, famous national campaign, the author examined the actual, repeated actions taken by diplomats and food experts. He interviewed three Dominican diplomats and three gastronomy specialists, and he reviewed official government documents, including a 2024 guide for cultural events and a strategic plan for sustainable food tourism through 2030. The goal was to understand how these scattered efforts fit together and whether they are becoming a formal part of the country's foreign policy.
The findings reveal that the Dominican Republic is already deeply engaged in gastrodiplomacy, but not through a single, centralized command. Instead, the country's food diplomacy is happening in many places at once: at official breakfasts, during cultural festivals, at tourism fairs, and in the homes of the three million Dominicans living abroad. The study shows that these activities serve four main purposes. First, they project an image of the country's history and identity, telling stories about the mix of Indigenous, African, and European influences that created its cuisine. Second, they build relationships; sharing a meal creates a relaxed atmosphere where trust can grow between officials and foreign guests. Third, they promote tourism and local products, helping visitors imagine the experience of eating in the Dominican Republic. Finally, they form networks, connecting chefs, business owners, and community leaders who can work together on future projects.
However, the study also highlights a significant gap between what is happening on the ground and what is happening in policy. While diplomats and food experts agree that the work is valuable, they see the current system differently. Diplomats describe a flexible, adaptable practice where they adjust menus to fit local tastes and rely on community members to help source ingredients. Gastronomy specialists, on the other hand, note that these efforts are often fragmented and lack a unified strategy. There is no single institution that ties all these separate activities together into one coherent plan. The research suggests that the country is currently in a middle stage of development: it has moved past simply having food present at events and is now in a phase of repeated, intentional practice, but it has not yet fully institutionalized these efforts into a permanent, well-coordinated policy.
The author argues that this "in-between" stage is actually quite common and valuable. It shows that a country can build a strong diplomatic reputation through food without needing a massive, expensive national branding campaign first. The real challenge for the Dominican Republic, and for other small nations, is not to replace this local flexibility with a rigid, top-down program. Instead, the goal should be to create a system that preserves the knowledge gained from each event. When a diplomat learns how to adapt a traditional dish for a specific audience, or when a chef finds a reliable local supplier in a foreign city, that knowledge should be saved and shared so it does not disappear when people change jobs. By connecting these scattered successes, a nation can turn individual acts of hospitality into a lasting, strategic asset that strengthens its relationships with the world.
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