Acculturation in the national kitchen sphere

Acculturation is a process of interaction of cultures through which representatives from one culture adopt norms, values, practices and traditions of another culture. It comprises all spheres of human life including national cuisine that is an integral part of everyday and festive life, and one of the most important elements of national culture that determines ethnic identity. The process of national cuisine acculturation is more active in multicultural regions. Therefore, the study was conducted in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, inhabited by more than 120 ethnic groups. The article discusses the cultural changes occurring in ethnic groups as a result of the development of migration in society; an attempt is made to identify trends in acculturation of the peoples inhabiting multi-ethnic Yugra region. The purpose of this research is to establish and describe the facts of transformations in the national cuisines during the process of acculturation. The article presents the general results of an empirical study carried out by the authors in 2017-2018. Data collection was conducted by using methods of observation, interview, and questionnaire. As a result, over 500 questionnaires and 40 hour interview was gathered and analyzed. Based on the traditional conception of acculturation strategies and analyses of empirical data the following tendencies in acculturation could be distinguished: 1) 28% of respondents demonstrate a tendency to assimilation striving for adjustment and relationship development with the new culture; 2) the majority of respondents (58%) show a tendency towards integration, in which an individual seeks to preserve the main elements of the national cuisine, but at the same time accepts elements of a new culture; 3) 14% of respondents show the tendency to separation, they are against changes in their diet and composition of traditional dishes. Generally speaking, the research into national cuisine in Yugra reveals a pronounced tendency of ethnic groups to maintain their original culture and preserve their cultural identity, but at the same time, adopt elements of other, as a rule, majority culture.