Food Tourism in Urban Places

Introduction

This book explores how food shapes urban identity, through people and practices, and reflects the cultural and social experiences of urban gastronomy.

Experiencing Cities through Food

From streets to markets, from restaurants to home, Food Tourism in Urban Places is a way of experiencing cities, connecting with cultures and societies and participating in stories through places. Drawing on examples from around the world, including Uruguay, Italy, Japan, Georgia, Spain, South Africa, Denmark and New Zealand, this book combines multiple perspectives and theoretical drivers, from foodscapes and museums’ narratives to gastrodiplomacy and somaesthetics, slow food and regenerative tourism. It demonstrates how food tourism is both universal and locally specific, connecting tradition and innovation, and ordinary and extraordinary experiences as part of a dialogue between everyday life and tourism. Looking forward, this book highlights the importance of indigenous knowledge and sustainability for the future of urban food experiences. Drawing on food through visual, sensory and participatory methods, readers are invited to see, taste and feel the cities to discover how food becomes a language of communication, identity and transformation.

Target Audience

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food studies, gastronomy, hospitality and tourism, cultural anthropology, human geography and urban development. This book will also appeal to readers outside academia with an interest in food, tourism and urban culture.