Culinary tourism

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France is a country that has been strongly associated with culinary tourism with both international visitors as well as French citizens traveling to different parts of the country to sample local foods and wine. Terrace cafe, Rue de Buci, Paris July 2010.jpg
France is a country that has been strongly associated with culinary tourism with both international visitors as well as French citizens traveling to different parts of the country to sample local foods and wine.

Culinary tourism or food tourism or gastronomy tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism. [1] It is considered a vital component of the tourism experience. [2] Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery" in importance to tourists. [2]

Contents

Culinary tourism became prominent in 2001 after Erik Wolf, president of the World Food Travel Association, wrote a white paper on the subject. [3]

Overview

Wine festival in Ampelonas, Greece Giorte Krasiou.png
Wine festival in Ampelonas, Greece

Culinary or food tourism is the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences, both near and far. [4] Culinary tourism differs from agritourism in that culinary tourism is considered a subset of cultural tourism (cuisine is a manifestation of culture) whereas agritourism is considered a subset of rural tourism, [5] but culinary tourism and agritourism are inextricably linked, as the seeds of cuisine can be found in agriculture. Culinary/food tourism is not limited to gourmet food. [6] Food tourism can be considered a subcategory of experiential travel.[ citation needed ]

While many cities, regions, or countries are known for their food, culinary tourism is not limited by food culture. Every tourist eats about three times a day, making food one of the fundamental economic drivers of tourism. Countries like Ireland, Peru, and Canada are making a significant investment in culinary tourism development and are seeing results with visitor spending and overnight stays rising as a result of food tourism promotion and product development. [7]

Food tourism includes activities such as taking cooking classes; going on food or drink tours; attending food and beverage festivals; [8] participating in specialty dining experiences; [3] shopping at specialty retail spaces; and visiting farms, markets, and producers.[ citation needed ]

Economic impact

The World Food Travel Association estimates that food and beverage expenses account for 15% to 35% of all tourism spending, depending on the affordability of the destination. [9] The WFTA lists possible food tourism benefits as including more visitors, more sales, more media attention, increased tax revenue, and greater community pride. [9]

Cooking classes

A growing area of culinary tourism is cooking classes. The formats vary from a short lesson lasting a few hours to full-day and multi-day courses. The focus for foreign tourists will usually be on the cuisine of the country they are visiting, whereas local tourists may be keen to experience cuisines new to them. Many cooking classes also include market tours to enhance the cultural experience. [10] Some cooking classes are held in local people's homes, allowing foreign tourists to catch a glimpse of what daily life and cuisine look like for those in the country they're visiting. Both the local hosts and foreign guests benefit from the cross-cultural experience.[ citation needed ]

Food tours

A home dinner in Bali, Indonesia (2016), made as part of a food tour Home dinner - Bali.jpg
A home dinner in Bali, Indonesia (2016), made as part of a food tour
The oldest bar serving dough named pasztecik szczecinski in the center of Szczecin (Poland), a popular destination for tourists visiting the city. Pasztecik szczecinski is one of traditional dishes of the Western Pomerania. 1104 Pasztecik Szczecinski Bar.jpg
The oldest bar serving dough named pasztecik szczeciński in the center of Szczecin (Poland), a popular destination for tourists visiting the city. Pasztecik szczeciński is one of traditional dishes of the Western Pomerania.

Food tours vary by locale and by operator. They are common in major cities such as London, [11] Paris, [12] [13] Rome, [14] Florence, [14] Toronto, [15] Kuala Lumpur, [16] and Barcelona. [17]

June 10, 2017, was the first annual National Food Tour Day, celebrating food tourism around the world. [18] The World Food Travel Association introduced World Food Travel Day on April 18, 2018, [19] as a way to put the spotlight on how and why we travel to experience the world's culinary cultures. It is designed to bring awareness to both consumers and trade, and support the Association's mission – to preserve and promote culinary cultures through hospitality and tourism. The day is celebrated all around the world every year on April 18.[ citation needed ]

Benefits of Culinary or food tourism

Food tourism [20] offers a multitude of benefits for travelers, including:

  1. Opportunities to try unique and authentic dishes
  2. Immersion into local or street food culture
  3. History and Traditions Behind the Food We Eat
  4. Supporting local economies by patronizing small businesses and food markets

See also

Related Research Articles

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A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to enable dishes unique to a region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French cuisine</span> Culinary tradition

French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices from France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Kennedy</span> British food writer (1923–2022)

Diana Kennedy was a British food writer. The preeminent English-language authority on Mexican cuisine, Kennedy was known for her nine books on the subject, including The Cuisines of Mexico, which changed how Americans view Mexican cuisine. Her cookbooks are based on her fifty years of travelling in Mexico, interviewing and learning from several types of cooks from virtually every region of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastronomy</span> Study of the relationship between food and culture

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastronomy is called a gastronome, while a gastronomist is one who unites theory and practice in the study of gastronomy. Practical gastronomy is associated with the practice and study of the preparation, production, and service of the various foods and beverages, from countries around the world. It is related with a system and process approach, focused on recipes, techniques and cookery books. Food gastronomy is connected with food and beverages and their genesis. Technical gastronomy underpins practical gastronomy, introducing a rigorous approach to evaluation of gastronomic topics.

Gourmet is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have an aesthetically pleasing presentation of several contrasting, often quite rich courses. Historically the ingredients used in the meal tended to be rare for the region, which could also be impacted by the local state and religious customs. The term and the related characteristics are typically used to describe people with more discerning palates and enthusiasm. Gourmet food is more frequently provided with small servings and in more upscale and posh fine dining establishments that cater to a more affluent and exclusive client base. When it comes to cooking gourmet dishes, there are also frequent cross-cultural interactions that introduce new, exotic, and expensive ingredients, materials, and traditions with more refined, complex, formal, and sophisticated high-level cooking and food preparation techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook (profession)</span> Occupation involving cooking food

A cook is a professional individual who prepares items for consumption in the food industry, especially in settings such as restaurants. A cook is sometimes referred to as a chef, although in the culinary world, the terms are not interchangeable. Cooks' responsibilities include preparing food, managing food stations, cleaning the kitchen, and helping the chefs. Restaurants will give a title to the cooks according to their designated stations. Examples are broiler cooks, fry cooks, pantry cooks, and sauce cooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong cuisine</span> Cuisine originating from Hong Kong

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culinary arts</span> Art of the preparation, cooking, and presentation of food

Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or cooks, although, at its most general, the terms culinary artist and culinarian are also used.

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Marcel Rouff was a Swiss novelist, playwright, poet, journalist, historian, and gastronomic writer. With Curnonsky he wrote the multi-volume work La France gastronomique, guide des merveilles culinaires et des bonnes auberges françaises. He may be best known today for his novel about the fictional gourmet Dodin-Bouffant, La vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet, which was first published in 1924 and dedicated to his friend Curnonsky and the great nineteenth-century French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Rouff's novel was adapted for French television in 1973 by Jean Ferniot and in a 2023 feature-length movie by Trần Anh Hùng, The Taste of Things.

Food heritage is a term that encompasses the origins of plants and animals and their dispersal, the sites where people first cultivated plants and domesticated animals, as well as the earliest locations around the world where people first processed, prepared, sold and ate foods. These locations include farms, all types of mill, dairies, orchards, vineyards, breweries, restaurants and cafes, markets and groceries, hotels and inns. Food museums help to preserve global and local food heritage. Agropolis Museum in Montpellier, France is an example of a Food museum.

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The global cuisine or world cuisine is a cuisine that is practiced around the world. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific region, country or culture. To become a global cuisine, a local, regional or national cuisine must spread around the world, its food served worldwide. There have been significant improvements and advances during the 20th century in food preservation, storage, shipping and production, and today many countries, cities and regions have access to their traditional cuisines and many other global cuisines.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Favre</span> Swiss chef and socialist (1849–1903)

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References

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  2. 1 2 McKercher, Bob; Okumus, Fevzi; Okumus, Bendegul (2008). "Food Tourism as a Viable Market Segment: It's All How You Cook the Numbers!". Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 25 (2): 137–148. doi:10.1080/10548400802402404. hdl:10397/12108. S2CID   153688186.
  3. 1 2 "What is Culinary Tourism?" . Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  4. "World Food Travel Association". World Food Travel Association. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  5. Wolf, Erik (2006). Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest. Kendall/Hunt Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7575-2677-0.
  6. Wolf, Erik (2001). "Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest" white paper. World Food Travel Association. (currently out of print).
  7. Wolf, Erik (2014). Have Fork Will Travel. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1490533995.
  8. "How Culinary Tourism Is Becoming a Growing Trend in Travel". HuffPost Canada. 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  9. 1 2 "What Is Food Tourism?". World Food Travel Association. Archived from the original on 2014-01-28. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  10. "A Cooking Vacation". The Tribune India.
  11. Lane, Megan (September 16, 2005). "A taste for gastro-tourism". BBC News.
  12. "Discover the Paris food scene like a true Parisian". deliciousmagazine.co.uk. 2015-09-10.
  13. "In Paris, 8 New Tours, From Art to Shopping". The New York Times . October 16, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Berger, Sarah (April 26, 2018). "These are the top food experiences in the world, according to TripAdvisor". CNBC.
  15. Abel, Ann (March 13, 2017). "Eat the World: 9 Best Food Tours". Forbes. See also Culinary Adventure Co.
  16. "Six Ways to Enjoy Kuala Lumpur". South China Morning Post. September 2, 2015.
  17. Frayer, Lauren (August 18, 2015). "Food Tours Help Keep Barcelona's Mom-And-Pop Tapas Bars Alive". NPR.
  18. "National Food Tour Day". Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  19. "World Food Travel Day". World Food Travel Association. Archived from the original on 2020-04-22.
  20. "Food Travel😋: Best Definitive Guide of 2023". February 2023.