THE THREE CULINARY CULTURES OF UTTARADIT PROVINCE TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE GASTRONOMY FOR TOURISM PROMOTION

Abstract

This research aims to study the potential of local food in Uttaradit Province that reflects the influence of three major culinary cultures: Lanna, Lan Chang, and Central Thai, which has been dubbed the "City of Three Culinary Cultures." This diverse local culinary identity demonstrates the integration of local resources, lifestyle, and community wisdom. The research objective is to assess and select foods with the highest potential for development into creative gastronomy to promote tourism, in accordance with Thailand's Soft Power policy within the 5F framework. The research methodology is quantitative research using evaluation by 3 experts consisting of food experts, design experts, and creative media innovation experts to evaluate 45 local food items from 9 districts according to 7 criteria: preparation readiness, idea incubation, idea development, idea verification, sustainability, innovation, and tourism potential, using the Creative Culinary Process Model framework by Horng and Hu (2009) and sustainable development criteria. The study concludes that Uttaradit's three-culture cuisine has high potential for development into creative gastronomy to promote tourism, being able to maintain the authenticity of local flavors while creating opportunities for creative economy development and sustainable tourism. The research results can serve as guidelines for developing Uttaradit Province as a unique culinary tourism destination.