Abstract

Food and gastronomy have a long-established link with tourism and have become a key factor in the development and promotion of tourism. Local cuisine defines a destination and is an integral aspect of local culture; it is often synonymous with the history and heritage of a place, identifying and distinguishing one destination from another nationally, regionally and, in some cases, locally. Intensified tourism competition often means that such localised identities become a powerful marketing tool as ‘local culture is becoming an increasingly valuable source of new products and activities to attract and amuse tourists’ (Vasileska and Reckoska, 2010: 1622). Hall and Mitchell (2005: 73) note that food and drink have, in fact, become ‘a significant component in popular culture in the developed world’, an ‘important part of contemporary lifestyles’ and hence an important part of tourism.