to make the most of gastronomic capital


The Food Paths Network connects diverse European cities that adopt a common approach to protecting their respective culinary heritages with the objective of turning gastronomic capital to good account.

It is generally agreed that the culinary traditions of any region have great cultural importance and should be identified, protected, and valorized. But how can this be achieved? The strategy of the Food Paths Network has been successfully tested within the Slow Food CE Project in five Central European cities: Brno, Dubrovnik, Kecskemet, Krakow, and Venice. It proposes ways to make the most of local products, recipes, traditional gastronomy, and local markets.

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The first phase of the proposed method consists in developing an understanding of the historical, cultural, social, and economic context of the local area in question by collecting bibliographical, archival, photographic, audiovisual, and other information available in libraries, archives, universities, study centers, art galleries, etc.

It is important to identify a specific local area to analyze (the size of the territory may vary according to country) on the basis of available resources and the capacity to involve local actors directly. Additionally, desk research must be relevant to the field research, giving priority to functionality and exhaustiveness.



The cuisine of Europe’s crossroads is based on the abundance of fruits, vegetables, grains, and wines that this region’s fertility provides.



Dubrovnik, with its glorious history and beautiful surroundings along the Adriatic coast, is a treasure trove of unexpected gastronomic delights.



The many peoples who found their home here have retained their culinary identities while embracing the riches of the local landscape.



The markets of this modern city offer food products that reflect a territory steeped in rural traditions stretching back centuries.



Venice is a place where different worlds mingle: water with land, fishing with agriculture, international commerce with intimate traditions.



Do you want to be part of the Food Paths Network and transform the gastronomic heritage of your region into a valuable cultural resource?


In order to protect the gastronomic cultural heritage of a given territory, it is essential to document embodied skills and orally transmitted knowledge in the local areas in question, and to map the biodiversity that gives rise to, and is expressed through, gastronomic products (including plant varieties or wild species, animal breeds, and processed or preserved products).

Among the many available methods and tools, video interviews are particularly effective for documenting traditional knowledge and skills, and exhaustive cataloguing is the basis for mapping local biodiversity and gastronomic products. The information gathered in the field then becomes the crucial basis for protecting gastronomic heritage.

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Valorization includes all the techniques and methodologies that increase the visibility and value of a given good, and the management and promotion mechanisms through which this value can be transmitted to beneficiaries. In the case of cultural goods, valorization is not limited to the economic sphere, but also includes cultural and environmental aspects.

Various clusters have been identified in order to group the different initiatives and activities that are available for valorizing cultural heritage.


A good, clean and fair public market is a collectively managed farmers’ market that allows local farmers and artisan producers to sell their products directly to consumers, communicating their work personally.

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Cultural events are ever greater magnets for tourists, and when they involve food and integrate culture with sensory experience and knowledge of local traditions, they become even more exciting.

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Educational activities of all kinds are a critical piece of protecting gastronomic cultural heritage, especially when they involve children, young people, and families.

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Sustainable tourism is an approach that integrates historical and cultural heritage, natural reserves, agricultural landscapes, and much more.

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