Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains the relationship between gastronomy and local development. It discusses how in French region the quality of local products has become a vector of development through their integration in tourism destination management. The book explains the case of Alentejo and shows how the region's gastronomic identity is reflected in the unique setting of Casa do Alentejo in the country's capital. It provides a critical view of the identity emerging from the gastronomic dimensions of local festivals in Spain in the era of globalisation. The book also discusses the impact of a visionary entrepreneurial project in the Zhejiang Province of China, showing the relationship between enhancing local biodiversity and educating people to tasting diversity. It examines types of local development induced by different food production strategies, analysing the diversity of social meanings associated with local productions.