Sanctioned cuisine: From Iranian caviar to Russian vodka the ‘gustatory embargo’ and the cultural performance of sanctions

Why do states and publics ban, restrict or destroy food during political disputes? Existing theories of economic statecraft fail to explain these recurring episodes, as such acts rarely exert material coercion. This article conceptualises these practices as gustatory embargoes – symbolically charged interventions ranging from official sanctions to consumer boycotts – and develops a novel framework grounded in cultural performance theory, gastronationalism and international society’s stigma literature. It argues that gustatory embargoes operate through two core properties: symbolic condensation and dramaturgical staging. By transforming mundane food items into condensed political symbols, senders generate public stigma, which in turn forces target states into reactive counter-performances to manage that stigma. The article identifies a theoretical repertoire comprising two sender and two target actions, which is empirically demonstrated through two comparative case studies: the international embargo on Iranian caviar (2004–2016) and Western vodka boycotts paired with Russia’s televised destruction of contraband food (2013–2022). By shifting focus from material coercion to performative dynamics, the article advances debates on non-coercive diplomacy, the emotional politics of statecraft and the role of everyday material culture in international relations.