The Philosophy of Food as a Cultural Code: Tradition, Satire, and Identity in I. P. Kotliarevsky’s Eneida

The article explores the philosophy of food as a cultural code in the Ukrainian context, focusing on the literary representation of gastronomic practices in Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s Eneida. The authors argue that food in this epic poem is more than a reflection of everyday life—it serves as a marker of national identity, an ethnographic model, and a tool of satire and social critique. Through the depiction of festive meals, dishes, and rituals, Kotliarevskyi constructs a multifaceted image of 18th-century Ukrainian society, where food symbolizes community, hierarchy, and moral values. The study traces how traditional foodways encoded collective memory, spiritual beliefs, and ethical norms, and demonstrates how they are transformed in contemporary culture through modernization, commercialization, and globalization. The article emphasizes the enduring symbolic significance of traditional dishes such as borscht, varenyky, and ritual bread in literature and public life. These culinary images, preserved through both satire and nostalgia, reveal the deep philosophical, aesthetic, and identity-forming dimensions of food in Ukrainian cultural heritage.