terroir /tErwar/ (noun)

(French loanword)

alternately, goût de terroir

..... somewhereness ..... 

Complete set of environmental conditions in which a particular family is produced, including soil type, weather conditions, topography. Things grown there possess the flavor and aroma attributable to the particular site. Differentiates regions. Actualizes specificity of place. Geography, geology and climate interact with genetics and express physically as well as psychologically. (1, 2)

This thesis explores, through family narrative, the complex terrain of personal history, material consciousness, and Appalachian craft traditions.

1 Terroir, traditionally defined, is a term most often applied to grapes used in wine making. For the purposes of this thesis, its definition is suspended, morphed, expanded to include the "somewhereness" of family, object, material, memory ...

2 wikipedia.org, dictionary.com, musingsonthevine.com