Food Heritage Research Articles

On the Study of the Sustainable Development of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indigenous Peoples’ Diets—Take the Protection of Geographical Indications as an Example

From the perspective of geographical indications, this article introduces the methods used by the geographical indication system to protect indigenous peoples’ diets as an intangible part of their cultural heritage. By collecting and analyzing the data of the five major intellectual property offices of the world, we can understand the protection status of the intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples’ diets. Difficulties and controversies in the protection of food-related intangible cultural heritage geographical indications; the solution method is based on an in-depth understanding of development strategies, and four suggestions are provided; finally, the self-check sheet for the protection of indigenous peoples’ dietary intangible cultural heritage geographical indications is supplemented. Combining the questionnaire surveys and field visits, the conclusions are: The protection of indigenous peoples’ food culture is not a deliberate attempt at preserving traditions, but instead the market demand that is most directly oriented to the times and food; while protecting indigenous peoples’ food culture through geographical indications, revitalizing the inheritance and development of community food culture; giving more rights to the indigenous peoples, and providing a good legal protection environment for the inheritance, dissemination and innovation of intangible cultural food heritage; give full play to the potential of geographical indications and their associated benefits.

CONSUMERS’ KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION OF FOOD IMAGE AND ACCEPTANCE TOWARDS FOOD HERITAGE IN KELANTAN

Heritage food is an integral part of consumers’ eating habits because it is made from original recipes passed down from generation to generation. However, due to changing lifestyles, there is a lack of knowledge among the younger generation, and consumption of heritage food is declining. Furthermore, researchers appear to disregard and dismiss research on food image and food tourism. The objective of this study is to determine consumer’s knowledge, food image perception, and acceptance of Kelantan heritage food. People's eating habits are changing due to social trends and information technology. A convenience sampling method was used in a selected area of Kelantan. A questionnaire was distributed to the general public in the Kelantan district of choice; Kota Bharu, Tanah Merah, and Machang. The findings revealed that respondents have a high level of knowledge about Kelantan’s heritage foods, with 92.3 per cent at good knowledge levels. Additionally, respondents have a positive perception of food image, with a high mean score of 4.81±0.59. Respondents showed a positive result in acceptance of heritage in tradition and culture, appearance, taste, quality, and healthiness with all mean scores of each attribute is more significant than 4. All of the study’s objectives had been met. All respondents expressed their positive and negative feelings about consumers’ knowledge, perception of food image, and acceptance of food heritage in Kelantan.

PERCEIVED VALUE, CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION, AND CUSTOMERS’ BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TOWARDS MALAYSIAN HERITAGE FOOD SERVED BY HOTELS AROUND KLANG VALLEY

Malaysian heritage food has become the most noticeable sign of the intermingling culture of ’Malaysia’s multiracial population. Heritage food can provide an intuitive sense of unity and a better understanding of the history of multiracial cultures. While their heritage foods are served in various establishments, hotel dining restaurants have become one of the most essential platforms that serve the highest quality Malaysian heritage food. The general objective of this research is to determine the perceived value, customer satisfaction, and behavioural intention towards Malaysian heritage food served by hotels around Klang Valley. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to select 200 respondents among customers who dined in the chosen hotel restaurants around Klang Valley. Findings are shown in terms of the perceived value of overall atmospheric (3.88 ± 0.51) followed by the overall service quality (3.78 ± 0.52) and the overall food quality (3.77 ± 0.65). Respondents were most satisfied with the “Interior dining environment” (3.85 ± 0.62), and “Professionalism and courtesy of the employees” (3.80 ± 0.65); however, they appeared less enthusiastic about the “Taste and authenticity of the heritage foods” (3.64 ± 0.63) and the “Price of the food” (3.55 ± 0.68). The impact of customer behavioural intention was also further discussed. Finally, the study indicated that there is a significant difference in the perceived value (p=0.007) and customer satisfaction (p=0.035) among varying demographic characteristics (race). However, no significant differences among demographics toward the dependent variable of customer satisfaction were found. Only race is significantly related to perceived value and customer satisfaction.

"PITHA" the heritage food of Odisha during the traditional festival: A scientific studies on its nutraceutical and nutritional analysis

"PITHA" the heritage food of Odisha during the traditional festival: A scientific studies on its nutraceutical and nutritional analysis

Tourist Satisfaction and Revisit Intention towards the Local Food Heritage in Kelantan

Local cuisines play a vital role in creating tourist destination places, boost tourism, and become one of the tourism products and attractions. However, there are limited studies focussing on local food heritage in Kelantan especially in terms of the tourist satisfaction and revisit intention. Hence, this study aims to identify the tourist satisfaction towards the revisit intention on local food heritage at Kelantan. This study is a quantitative study and online survey was used as the data collection instrument for 62 respondents which had post experience visiting Kelantan. The outcomes of this study show that the prominent factors of tourist satisfaction are affordable price which mean value is 4.47. Meanwhile, the least mean value which is 3.61 falls under the destination image. Based on the findings, this study has successfully contributed to identify the factors of tourist satisfaction and revisit intention towards local food heritage in Kelantan. Hence, the authority of Kelantan should promote their local food heritage as a tourism product and encourage the local community to sustain its local food heritage. Thus, it will help the gastronomy tourism in Kelantan to promote the uniqueness of local food heritage in future.

The influence of heritage food consumption and experiential value on Terengganu’s destination image and tourists’ behavioural intention

ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors influencing heritage food tourists’ behavioural intentions and perceived destination image based on how heritage food consumption and experiential value affect their behavioural intention. A sample of 336 tourists was surveyed in Terengganu, Malaysia. The study hypotheses were investigated using partial-least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that consumption and experiential value significantly predict tourists’ attitudes. In addition, their favourable attitude towards food significantly stimulates their perception of Terengganu's destination image and behavioural intention. This study demonstrates the importance of local food consumption value on tourists’ perceptions and behaviour, which is especially important in the promotion of heritage food tourism. The findings suggest ways for managers and practitioners in the culinary tourism industry to strategically market their offerings in order to increase demand for food tourism.

Marketing environmental responsibility through “green” menus

ABSTRACT The design of menus is a strategic part of the marketing mix of restaurants and the way they can (or can not) create a competitive advantage and attract the customer’s attention. In particular, restaurant menus communicate the restaurant unique selling proposition through its unique understanding of terroir. In this sense, the role of restaurants in the protection of local food identities and the promotion of local food heritage has become a topic of increasing interest. From a qualitative study based on a discourse analysis, the aim of this article is to understand the role of food in dining experiences through the storytelling embedded in the menus of the 8 restaurants awarded with the Michelin Green Star in Catalonia. While results show the pivotal role of products with a local origin, the narrative derived from the menus display meaningful relationships between local and global, old and new culinary techniques. Results also show the preoccupation of restaurants toward the protection of the linkages between the products and the territory, and the promotion of a zero-waste cuisine. Theoretical and practical implications are outlined to create both business and destination marketing strategies based on a “green” storytelling.

Crowding out local initiative in the protection of heritage agri-food specialties: The growing hegemony of sui generis Geographical Indication in East Asia

The comprehensive uptake of geographical indication (GI) worldwide suggests that global trade is at the threshold of mainstreaming protections for heritage agri-food specialties. The European GI model is in ascendance thanks to a campaign of institutional entrepreneurship that engendered a powerful macro-organization leading the rapid diffusion of sui generis GI. Through its success in recruiting the intellectual property regimes of most East Asian countries into the European orbit of trade and cultural production, it has become hegemonic, with the potential for ‘crowding out’ useful pre-existing mechanisms of heritage food protection or displacing exchange in agri-food specialties still embedded in the moral economy. Although this new global standard is shaped by the process of integration into new milieux, this paper finds that latent post-colonial tendencies in the European GI model and its poor capacity at self-reflection in the face of inefficiency compromises its potentially unifying role in the heritage food world order.

The potatoes of Otro: the reconstitution of an element of the Walser food heritage in NW Italy

The article analyzes the trajectory of the reconstitution of the gastronomic heritage among the Italian Walser community. It focuses on the case study of potato production in the Otro Valley, in Alagna Valsesia (VC), and explores how the process of heritagization linked to these products allowed the community to reconstitute a trait of their biocultural diversity lost during the twentieth century. In so doing, it offers details about the gastronomy of potatoes among the Walser and shows that food heritagization is not always coupled with the commodification of local heritage products, but rather can foster processes of reappropriation of a traditional gastronomy.

Recipes for Resilience: Engaging Caribbean Youth in Climate Action and Food Heritage through Stories and Song

This paper presents findings from the Recipes for Resilience project, an international, interdisciplinary collaboration between Caribbean and UK scholars of history, geography, anthropology, cultural studies, development studies, ethnobotany, and climate-risk studies, and the research partners, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network. The purpose of the project was to investigate how agrifood heritage may be mobilized in creative ways to engage Caribbean youth in climate action and justice. The project utilized arts and humanities methods, such as storytelling, songwriting, online games, and brief research-led talks, culminating in the co-created song: “Food and Resistance for Climate Resilience”. The results of the project provide evidence that climate action requires arts and humanities methods to appeal to youth, as opposed to purely fact-based or scientific forms of climate communication. We conclude that co-creative methods such as music and storytelling can inspire youth to engage in climate action, in this case through a (re)valuation culinary and agricultural heritage.

A Review on the Notions of Food Heritage Conservation

A Review on the Notions of Food Heritage Conservation

Nubian Agricultural Practices, Crops and Foods: Changes in Living Memory on Ernetta Island, Northern Sudan

Agricultural practices in northern Sudan have been changing rapidly but remain little documented. In this paper we aim to investigate changes to crops grown in living memory and their uses through interviews with Nubian farmers on the island of Ernetta. By exploring cultivation and crop processing practices, together with associated material culture and foodstuffs, we also seek to explore how agricultural and food heritage are connected, and to better understand reasons for crop changes. Several cereals and pulses that were previously important subsistence crops are now grown as comparatively minor crops. The replacement of the sagia (waterwheel) by diesel pump irrigation, the introduction of commercial crops, and the reduction of the annual flood have led to fundamentally new cropping patterns within household farms. At the same time, each species has its own narrative and timing of change. Shifts in crops grown are paralleled by transitions in foodways, associated material culture, and land use. The project is timely, as much of the information about past crop uses resides in the memories of elderly farmers. The findings highlight the broader global need to document endangered memories of cropping patterns, traditional ecological and food knowledge, including local terms for foods and crops.

Supporting Sustainable Development by Identifying Ways to Enhance and Conserve Local Food Wisdom, Loei Province, Thailand

Traditional diets are generally nutrient-rich and utilise locally available resources. Strategies to help conserve local food wisdom and increase its value could facilitate a reduction in the burden of all forms of malnutrition and achieve global goals. Our objectives were to: (1) investigate the variety of local foods and food preparation methods in Loei province, Thailand; (2) investigate ways of increasing the nutritional, social, and economic value of local food in this province; and (3) construct a local food database to catalogue and conserve the local food wisdom. Nine out of fourteen districts in Loei province were purposively selected. All were designated key sustainable tourist destinations and represented a range of terrains. There were 423 interview participants, representing all villages in one subdistrict of each of the nine selected districts. We also conducted nine focus group discussions with a total of 90 participants. Data were analysed and categorised, based on the content analysis technique, and we created an online database of the catalogued recipes. There were 240 dishes, placed into seven categories of recipe type. Many of the characteristics of the local dishes from Loei province today remain closely connected to the history of this part of Thailand. We identified that the value of local foods could be improved by investing in technology used for home preservation, actively engaging younger generations to improve the transfer of local food wisdom, investment in technology to utilise local biodegradable materials, and tourist activities based around local food heritage. Future work will involve further development of the local food database, and research to evaluate the application of the database. Moreover, this research can serve as a model for retaining and valuing local food wisdom elsewhere, to promote food security, combat malnutrition, and benefit the local economy.

Delicious or Disgusting? The Winding Journey of Colostrum in Estonian Food Culture

Abstract This article examines the changing meaning and status of colostrum in Estonian food culture, relying on data drawn from ethnographic archives and historical sources, cookbooks, and the media. From seasonal food consumed by both Estonian peasants and the Baltic German elite it has been transformed into a modern functional food. The study provides a lens through which to examine the economic, social, and cultural factors that have shaped the modernisation of food culture in Estonia as well as contemporary interpretations of food heritage.

Chorta (Wild Greens) in Central Crete: The Bio-Cultural Heritage of a Hidden and Resilient Ingredient of the Mediterranean Diet.

Simple SummaryWild greens (WGs) are thought to have played a crucial role in the post-Neolithic Mediterranean diets of the Near East and the Mediterranean. The current study reports the bio-cultural diversity of WGs (Chorta) in Central Crete. Comparison with some Greek historical data of the 19th and 20th centuries shows that WGs have remained resilient and are still crucial in the daily Cretan diet, with an important role played by weedy Asteraceae species. Cross-cultural comparison with the WGs gathered and consumed in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean demonstrates a remarkable diversity of Cretan WGs and important similarities with those consumed in Greek-speaking Cyprus, the Bodrum area of Turkey, coastal Syria, and Southern Italy. The implications of Cretan Chorta for both historical studies of the Mediterranean Diet and for promoting WGs-centered food heritage are discussed.An ethnobotanical field study focusing on traditional wild greens (WGs) was carried out in Central Crete, Greece. Through thirty-one semi-structured interviews, a total of fifty-five wild green plants and their culinary uses and linguistic labels were documented; they were mostly consumed boiled (vrasta) or fried (tsigariasta), as a filling for homemade pies. Comparison with some Greek historical data of the 19th and 20th centuries showed that WGs have remained resilient and are still present in the current Cretan diet. Cross-cultural comparison with the WGs gathered and consumed in other areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean demonstrated a remarkable diversity of Cretan WGs and important similarities with those consumed in Greek-speaking Cyprus, the Bodrum area of Turkey, coastal Syria, and Southern Italy. We discussed the cognitive categories linked to Chorta, as well as the possible origin of an original “bulk” of post-Neolithic food weeds that could have spread from the Fertile Crescent westwards across the Mediterranean basin over a few millennia. The current study represents a crucial effort to document and preserve the bio-cultural gastronomic heritage of Chorta and it is advisable that both biology and history scholars, as well as policy makers, pay needed attention to the WGs of the Cretan and Mediterranean diet.

The heritage food concept and its authenticity risk factors - Validation by culinary professionals

The increasing interest in heritage food by tourists requires a deeper understanding of its concept. A previous study conceptualised heritage food into three dimensions (i.e. legacy, people and place) and developed a framework describing the main activities in heritage food production, the connection to the identified dimensions and potential authenticity risk factors. This study aims to validate the heritage food concept and the identified authenticity risk factors in the production of heritage food dishes. Semi-structured interviews with culinary professionals of foodservice establishments in Saudi Arabia and Italy were conducted to validate the concept and evaluate the risk factors based on their professional expertise. Data were analysed by thematic content analysis using MAXQDA to infer categories describing the heritage food concept. The results indicated that the previously determined heritage food dimensions were confirmed by professionals. The identified categories ‘inheritance’ and ‘authenticity of the recipe and cooking’ corresponded with legacy, whereas the category ‘locality of ingredients’ linked to place. The category ‘knowledgeable chefs representing their culture’ is related to people. Another category ‘heritage food is subject to cultural and societal influences’ emerged which demonstrates that authenticity is not static but evolves. Most culinary chefs from both countries confirmed the earlier identified authenticity risk factors. Moreover, three new authenticity risk factors arose from the interviews including ‘adaptation to customer preference’, ‘costs of ingredients’, and ‘non-native origin of chef’. Further research is necessary to investigate how these risk factors differ among various types of foodservice establishments.

Traditions for Future Cross-National Food Security-Food and Foraging Practices among Different Native Communities in the Western Himalayas.

Simple SummaryBiological and cultural history is linked with neglected and underused species (NUS). Wild food plants and animals have been the focus of important investigations carried out around the world in recent decades, and it is seen as a key issue in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. In this study, we assessed the effect of geographical, political, social and economic scenarios of neighboring countries that have led to different food and foraging practices in the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. We recorded 209 species, broadly classified into plants (n = 152) and animals (n = 57), used by the local people from four biogeographic regions (Kashmir, Jammu, Azad Kashmir and Ladakh) of erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Among wild flora, 139 vascular plants and 13 mushrooms were used by the indigenous communities, whereas in the case of wild fauna, 14 mammals, 22 birds and 21 fishes were used. The Jammu and Kashmir regions showed greater similarity, whereas the least overlap was observed between the Jammu and Ladakh regions. A cross-cultural comparison of wild food resources showed that maximum overlapping was observed in plant resources, and minimum in animals between the four regions of the study area. The usage of different wild foods is also dependent on seasonality. Wild animals and birds are preferred as food in the winter season. However, in the warm months of the year, plants and fish were preferred during the summer season due to their easy accessibility, and they replace the requirement of animals during the warm months of the year. The results of the current study show that the geopolitical scenario in this region has also affected the usage of different animal and plant species for food in the historically unified region of Jammu and Kashmir. This is one of the first comprehensive studies that document the wild food heritage essential for future projects aimed at fostering conservation, environmental sustainability, food security and climate change.Traditional diets exist in all cultures and geographic regions, and they often represent healthy eating options. Traditional culinary preparations have, however, often undergone profound change, even in the isolated Himalayan region. Therefore, we adapted methods to identify traditional plant foraging activities to better understand their significance in food system sustainability, as well as to promote innovative local gastronomies. Information on wild food and foraging practices was gathered from varied ethnic groups such as Kashmiri, Gujjars, Pahari, Dogra, Bakarwal, Balti, Beda and Brokpa through interviews (n = 716) and group discussions (n = 67) in four bio-geographic regions of the Jammu and Kashmir Himalayas (J&KH). The data were subjected to ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) via R software Ver. 4.0.0. We documented 209 food species, of which 73% were plants and 27% animals, used by the inhabitants of four bio-geographic regions of J&KH. The highest number of food plant species was recorded in Indian Kashmir, followed by Jammu, Azad Kashmir and Ladakh (81, 65, 60 and 27 species, respectively), and the maximum number of animal species was reported in Indian Kashmir, followed by Azad Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu (33, 21, 19 and 17 species, respectively). The Azad Kashmir and Indian Kashmir regions showed greater similarity, whereas the least overlap was observed between Kashmir and Ladakh. The PCA showed considerable variation between different regions, and specific groups of species were more related to one specific region than others. The reported uses of Abies pindrow, Acacia modesta, Bergenia ciliata, Bergenia stracheyi and Juglans regia among plants, and Jynx torquilla, Streptopelia orientalis and Tadorna ferruginea among animals, are novel for the gastronomy of this part of the Himalayan region. We also recorded for the first time from this region seven unique food preparations of wild animals. This study documented extensive traditional knowledge on the usage of wild species, and is the first scientific description of wild food species and their vernacular names in the Western Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir. Our findings can contribute significantly to combating food insecurity by revitalizing and reconsidering the rich bio-cultural food heritage around which local traditional communities have developed their food systems.

Scouting for Food Heritage for Achieving Sustainable Development: The Methodological Approach of the Atlas of the Ark of Taste

Over the last two decades, scholars and organizations across the world have carried out research projects and promoted dissemination tools aimed at promoting food and food-related elements embedded in local and traditional foodways. In this regard, the documentation of food and biocultural heritage has been seen as the starting point of processes directed toward their safeguarding and promotion. Drawing from this premise, the paper presents an original methodological approach, designed within the framework of the Ark of Taste project, to map, inventory, and document food and food-related resources to produce a comprehensive dissemination tool for the promotion of local food and biocultural heritage. To this end, the paper discusses the case study of the Atlas of the Ark of Taste in Tanzania, looking at the approach used, and the challenges faced, in undertaking field and desk activities aimed at inventorying Tanzanian food products and in the creating of the gastronomic atlas of this country. Drawing from this experience, the paper highlights the potentially crucial role that food and gastronomic inventories may have in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals from a grassroots perspective. Acknowledging the limitations and possible unintended effects of these initiatives on the protection of food and biocultural resources, the authors recognize the promising role that these tools could have in fostering the achievement of environmental (SDGs 13, 14, 15) and social sustainability (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 10) objectives.

Food fears and risk of loss of food heritage: A little-explored effect of food modernity and times of pandemic

Multiple global transformations in production processes and in the buying and consuming patterns of prepared foods associated with food industrialization have led to cultural fragmentation. In food terms, this fragmentation is evidenced by pressures on food heritage, by the homogenization of diets and food practices, the loss of traditions, recipes, techniques and traditional preparations, among others. An additional pressure on food heritage is the popularization of hygienist discourse and increasingly stringent safety standards. Likewise, food modernity and the COVID 19 pandemic have generated insecurity in consumers and food fears in relation to the food consumed that can restrict their consumption. This article addresses the effect of food fear on the consumption of typical foods and the consequent loss of food heritage, taking as an example the consumption of typical foods of Colombian gastronomy prepared with hydrated corn dough. Based on an expert consultation (N = 102; 57 F, 45 M), it was evidenced that part of the consumers identify physical, chemical and microbiological risks in typical foods, and experience food fears that restrict their intake outside the home in spaces of cultural tradition such as stalls on the street and market places. There was also evidence of a limited reproduction of traditional recipes, even within homes, materializing a risk of loss of food heritage. Finally, it is concluded that this risk of loss of food heritage resides in the influence of modern nutritional habits on cultural values that are fragmented and disappear, such as the oral transmission of knowledge and culinary practices intergenerationally, family and community cohesion around food and the radical disappearance of recipes as well as their preparations.

Looking into the past to build the future: food, memory, and identity in the indigenous societies of Puebla, Mexico

Food memory has been determinant in the survival of social groups, the causes of its activation are varied (e.g. feelings, identity, need or challenge) and it is transmitted from generation to generation. These interactions have given rise to an ethnic food heritage that responds to cultural processes and territorial specificities. It is in this logic that this study is proposed, which aims to explore the dynamics between food, memory, and identity of two ethnic groups in the state of Puebla in Mexico in a context of health disruption. The experience of these two groups shows how food identity and memory is particularly strategic in the face of adversity, as is currently the case with the COVID-19 pandemic.