At present article, I analyze the aspects related to choices and food taboos among riverine populations settled in the Rio Negro (Amazonas, Brazil). It was interviewed 104 people (57 men and 47 women) and it was observed 47 domestic units the everyday practices regarding preferences and food restrictions. The food choices are influenced by individual preferences, ecological, economic, social and cultural factors. Concerning the food taboo system, animals with hybrid characters or difficult to categorized, such as scaless fishes and omnivorous animals, are subject of taboos. The overlap among different theoretical chains is used to interpret the variations established among preferences and food taboos in the Rio Negro.
food preferences; taboos; ecology; riverine population; Rio Negro; Amazônia
