Narrating Cultural Identity through Cuisine: A Semiotic Analysis of Food Scenes in Annapoorani

Abstract The Tamil film Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food (2023) gives a compelling narrative where food is not merely a sensory experience also a cultural text rich with symbolic meaning. The paper deals how culinary imagery, rituals, and practices in the film serve as semiotic tools for expressing cultural identity, religious boundaries, and gender roles. Anchored in the semiotic theories of Roland Barthes and cultural analysis, the study decodes the layered meanings embedded in food scenes, particularly focusing on traditional Tamil Brahmin cuisine, the concept of purity, and the transformation of food from a sacred offering to a professional aspiration. The film’s protagonist, Annapoorani, navigates the sacred and the secular kitchen spaces, challenging traditional caste and religious norms that restrict her culinary dreams. Through key scenes — such as her clandestine consumption of meat, participation in a cooking competition, and the climactic moment of cooking in a secular kitchen — the paper illustrates how cuisine becomes a medium of personal rebellion, cultural negotiation, and spiritual evolution. This study argues that Annapoorani uses food not only as a plot device but as a rich semiotic system that reflects broader social and cultural narratives in South Indian society. By critically examining these symbols, the paper sheds light on how films can reframe cuisine as both a cultural artifact and a vehicle for identity transformation. Keywords: Cuisine and Cinema, Cultural Identity, Gender and Food, Semiotics,