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Abstract
Immigration has become a new phenomenon in Spanish society during the last years. In 2007, immigrants
represented around 10% of total population, with 35% coming from Latin-American countries. When immigrants
arrive, they bring their own values and cultural symbols, which, essentially, are different from those of the indigenous
population. As time goes through, two alternative processes are observed: 1) a gradual switch towards the Host
Society values; or 2) a maintenance of their ethnical identity. Focussing in the Latin-American immigrants in
Barcelona, the objective of this paper is twofold: 1) to measure their degree of ethnical identity; and 2) to analyse the
relationship between food habits and their ethnical identity. Food habits refer here to the consumption of traditional
meals from their country of origin. Face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of Latin American
immigrants in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona are undertaken. First, socioeconomics characteristics of the
sample are described. Second, the MEIM scale is used to measure their ethnical identity, which combines aspects
from the social identity and personal development theories. Finally, a Multinomial Logit Model is estimated to
identify the relationship between food habits and ethnical identity. Results indicate that the higher the level of ethnic
identity and feeling of belonging, the greater the persistence of dietary habits from the country of origin.