Food cultural heritage paving the way to a more sustainable future

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Sulea, Claudiu; Sadowski, Mirosław M. and Bonaviri, Gianluigi Mastandrea and Ceccotti, Filippo, eds. (2025) Food cultural heritage paving the way to a more sustainable future. In: Heritage in War and Peace IV. University of Strathclyde Publishing, Glasgow. ISBN 9781914241802 (https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00093390)

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Abstract

In rural regions undergoing demographic and economic transitions, food heritage is gaining renewed relevance, not only as a cultural marker but as a strategic asset for sustainable tourism and local development. This paper examines how culinary traditions in Romania are being revitalised through contemporary practices that blend ancestral knowledge with innovation, focusing on movements such as the New Romanian Cuisine and initiatives across Transylvania. The research draws on sociocultural systems theory, experiential learning, and community-based tourism frameworks to examine how food-related practices can serve as tools for cultural continuity, economic resilience, and identity formation. It investigates the role of chefs, local producers, and grassroots organisations in reclaiming and reinterpreting foodways, while also analysing the challenges posed by globalisation, rural depopulation, and the commercial pressures of the tourism industry. Particular attention is given to food festivals, local gastronomic points, and intergenerational knowledge transfer as mechanisms that preserve both tangible and intangible aspects of heritage. The study also considers the dual role of digital media—especially social platforms—as vehicles for cultural storytelling and exposure, but also as spaces where authenticity is often reshaped for external consumption.

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