Food can act as a mechanism of identity and of establishing cultural, ethnic, spiritual, and social belonging. Our food choices serve to symbolize how we define ourselves in terms of religion, ethnicity, and social class.

Food is shared and eating is an occasion for sharing.  Sometimes food is incorporated into rituals of preparation and meaning.  When food is turned into a ritual or tradition, the specific food being prepared and shared is the focal point that changes the atmosphere from ordinary to extraordinary. Eating Turkey on Thanksgiving, making Christmas cookies, preparing Japanese tea, and eating Pan de Muerto on Day of the Dead are all traditions built around food and the sharing of said food. When these foods are prepared outside their respective ritual context, their meaning changes completely.

Everyday foods often vary from culture to culture and play a major role in defining culture as well as identity. Even everyday foods offer an insight into the cultures they belong to. For many people, Japanese food is sushi, American is hamburger, Italian is spaghetti, and Mexican is the taco. Everyday foods can illustrate cultural identity.