Culinary Tourism as Public Folklore: Heritage in Negotiating Competitiveness and Sustainability

Abstract

The tourism industry often treats heritage as an objective quality that makes attractions more competitive. This approach would seem to support the sustainability of a culture's culinary heritage, but it oftentimes ossifies, simplifies, invents, and even threatens it. A folklore-based approach to culinary tourism addresses some of these issues. This essay describes three projects that illustrate applications of folklore theory and practice to culinary tourism projects involving heritage.