foodways

plural noun

food·​ways ˈfüd-ˌwāz How to pronounce foodways (audio)
: the eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period

Examples of foodways in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many people have worked toward making foodways more sustainable, but often to the detriment of the actual taste of the end product. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2022 As if South Texas were this totally separate place, above the influence of Mexico and its foodways. — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Nov. 2022 Today, Belize’s three Maya groups (Yucatec Maya, Mopan Maya, and Kekchi Maya) still count chocolate drinks as a part of their foodways. — Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2022 Sherman is a James Beard Award winning chef with a mission to educate the public about Native American foodways and traditions. — Maya Richard-Craven, Men's Health, 22 Nov. 2022 Safeguarding Indigenous knowledge and native plant life may be reason enough to rethink dinner, but experts also say localizing foodways can boost food security and nutrition. — Zinara Rathnayake, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Aug. 2022 Their efforts — at researching Levantine foodways and then pushing ever so gently against their boundaries — have culminated in a flatbread that borrows from street food traditions without being subservient to them. — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2022 Dana Thompson, who along with Sherman co-founded the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, sees the restoration of traditional foodways as key to addressing health and economic crises in Native communities. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 23 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foodways was in 1941

Rhymes for foodways

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Browse Nearby Words

food vacuole
foodways
food web
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Cite this Entry

“Foodways.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foodways. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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