The kitchen as a sacred space in the Òrìṣà worship: introductory notes

Abstract

This article presents a reflection on the role of the kitchen in the Òrìṣá tradition as a sacred territory, where food not only nourishes the body but also serves as a vehicle of communication between the material (ayé) and spiritual (òrùn) worlds. Through a qualitative and exploratory approach, the research adopts the method of participant observation (Mónico et al., 2018) and incorporates an autoethnographic perspective (Balbina and Medeiros, 2021), as the authors are initiated practitioners who document ancestral knowledge from within. The theoretical framework draws on authors such as Juana Elbein dos Santos (2012), Pierre Verger (2023), Jacob Olupona (2011), Roger Bastide (1961), and Claude Lévi-Strauss (1976), highlighting the ritual, symbolic, and communal functions of food in traditional African religions. Key elements discussed include the role of the Ìyábase, sacred commensality, food taboos (Èèwọ̀), and the narratives in itan and odù Ifá that relate food to mythical stories and Òrìṣà preferences. The paper demonstrates how the preparation, consecration, and sharing of food reenact ancestral pacts within a cyclical understanding of time, reinforcing ties between individuals, the community, and deities. It concludes by framing food offerings as a form of radical hospitality that welcomes the sacred into everyday life and sustains ethical and spiritual equilibrium.