Food communicates everything from love and tradition like a home cooked dinner with all of the trimmings and even political stances. How exactly a menu wields this political power is detailed in a new study. A team in Portugal combed through hundreds of menus from diplomatic dinners, state banquets, and receptions hosted over the 20th and 21st centuries. “Menus can be intentionally designed to convey political messages and communicate non-gastronomic aspects,” Cabral explained. In the 1960s and 70s, diplomatic meals increasingly featured rare ingredients.