TV cooking shows and the national identity. The case of MasterChef

Abstract

Food, as unmistakable part of the culture of a society, is an area on which individual and collective identities — as well as national ones, of course — are built. In this sense, its elements are used to construct certain discourses on the nation in relation to a precise historical and political moment. Considering that television is an ideal instrument to channel the national imaginary in present times, we think it might be of particular interest to investigate the discourse on the nation formulated in entertainment TV shows, in view of their usual consumption by the audience. Therefore, this article examines the concept of the Spanish nation which spreads through one of the most prolific television genres in recent years as is that of cooking programs and, in particular, the successful talent show MasterChef, a format that has been broadcast on screens around the world.

KEYWORDS: Spanish nation, television, food, reality TV, TV cooking shows, banal nationalism.