Cultural heritage as a collective identity: the know-how of the sweet pé de moleque (peanut brittle) in Piranguinho, MG

Abstract: The proposed reflection is on the process of forming collective identity from the know-how of the sweet pé de moleque (peanut brittle), cultural heritage ofthe municipality of Piranguinho, in the microregion of Itajubá, south of the State of Minas Gerais. In the cultural aspect, the municipality is characterized by counting on the production and sale of the sweet pé de moleque, and the meanings are constituted around the artifact, which influences the mentality, identity organization, and development path choices. From this perspective, we justify our participation in the debate on regional-local development, considering the strategies adopted in small municipalities. Therefore, we aim to understand the knowledge and practice of the sweet pé de moleque as an element of contribution to development, without losing sight of the history and compositions that support the idea of place. We used the resources ofthe field research, through semi-structured interviews, which we carried out from September to December 2019. The results achieved show that culture and identity in the dynamics of the place are also expressed through the construction of the pé de moleque as cultural heritage, forming the collective identity and getting involved with the issues of the development of the microregion of Itajubá.