Jeane Huang
Core Culture Management Co, Ltd.
The main purpose of this paper is to look at the historical and cultural heritage of modern Taiwanese cuisine from several chosen Taiwanese signature dishes and how they have been influenced and have evolved from a blend of other cultures. The goal of this study is to help identify the traditional cultural elements of these iconic Taiwanese dishes with the hope of differentiating them from other cuisines, such Chinese and Japanese, in order to establish a cultural brand identity for Taiwanese cuisine.
Data were collected from official gastronomy promotional publications, books and interviews with culinary experts in Taiwan. Results indicate that although government promotional planning has been launched and implemented for several years, Taiwanese cuisine still struggles for international recognition because of the lack of clear brand identity building, effective policies, a scientific standardization process and resources in culinary talents and finance.
(Presented in the 2012 Asian Food Heritage Forum: Harmonizing Culture , Technology and Industry, 20-21 August 2012, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Chinese Dietary Culture Institute, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Ministry of Culture, Thailand)