The Concept of McDonaldization in the Food Culture of Modern Mordovia

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-3/71-86

Authors

Keywords:

mordovian cuisine, McDonaldization, authenticity, restaurant industry, globalization

Abstract

Based on field materials collected by the author in 2023–2025 in the Republic of Mordovia, this article analyses the impact of McDonaldization on the transformation of the food culture of modern Mordovia. The methodological framework is based on G. Ritzer's concept, which identifies efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control as key elements of rationalization in contemporary society. The article examines the adaptation of Mordovian dishes to globalized formats of fast food, street food, hybrid cuisine, etc. Furthermore, an important focus of the work is the discourse on authenticity in the context of "invented traditions" and ethno-branding, as well as the transformation of Mordovian alimentary practices among rural populations. Efficiency is expressed in the acceleration of food preparation and consumption: in food trucks and Mordovian cuisine cafés, dishes are prepared in no more than 10–15 minutes, and semi-finished products are used. Predictability manifests in the standardization of menus, with restaurants featuring items familiar to consumers. The author concludes that McDonaldization in Mordovia is fragmentary: fast-food chains are present only in the regional capital, yet its elements (standardization, simplification, predictability) permeate both local ethnic cafés and food trucks, as well as everyday home cooking. The processes of adaptation and adoption lead to a shift in the "registers of truth," where authenticity is determined not only by the antiquity of a recipe but also by the atmosphere being created.

Author Biography

  • Timofey Piskunov, Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Piskunov, Timofey V. — Master Student, Ethnology Department, Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: tpiskunov22@gmail.com ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8594-0596

    For citation: Piskunov, T. V. 2026. The Concept of McDonaldization in the Food Culture of Modern Mordovia. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 3: 71–86.

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Published

21.09.2026

Issue

No. 3 (2026): Vestnik antropologii (Herald of Anthropology)

Section

Ethnography of the Urals–Volga Region