ABSTRACT
The enrichment of regional culinary status and the use of local food is a part of developing rural tourist destinations. Bessière (1998) discusses local heritage in the food context as an element of tourist development on a local level. She means that culinary heritage in rural areas can be considered as an identity construction linked to a peasant identity with special features concerning eating habits and food production, such as conserving historical skills and techniques in the making of a food product. The use or meaning of the term “local food” is discussed by many stakeholders including researchers, as Sims (2010) questions: What is local food? What are the distinctions? Is it grown in the nearby vicinity? Regionally? Or is it simply produced in the country? Is it connected to the promotion of local farmers and is it socially beneficial? According to Sims (2010), there is no guarantee, for example, that local food is produced in an environmental friendly way even if it is often implicitly presented as healthier and tastier than other food products. She points out that the production of local food is often connected to cultural, ethical and sustainable issues (see also Hall & Gössling 2013). For example, if a product has an historical and symbolic connection to the region or an impact on local employment or small food business start-ups that use local ingredients. Consumers/guests and restaurant owners/chefs may also have different views on the matter of local food (see also Chapter 17, this volume). Chefs may interpret the term widely and often use it as a marketing instrument via labelling and storytelling and as a way to describe cooking practices. Sims (2010) also notes that a way of attracting customers is to highlight sustainability and ecofriendliness. Guests are often interested in the cultural aspect of local food but are not always willing to travel far or pay higher prices for local products.
