FUSION FOOD DESIGN FROM KHAO TOK PUMPKIN: CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE AND CULTURAL IDENTITY CREATION DIMENSIONS

Abstract

This study analyzed the Khao Tok pumpkin variety as a cultural text that reflects the identity and way of life of Thai society in the globalization era from the perspective of cultural studies. The research examined the transformation of meaning when the Khao Tok pumpkin variety was processed into pumpkin puree and used to enhance the nutritional value of modern cookies, which are cookies that integrate the concept of indigenous confectionery such as Khao Tok Tad, arising from younger generations creating new meanings for traditional foods. The research objectives were 1) to study the cultural capital of Khao Tok Tad confectionery and local wisdom in Fak Tha District, Uttaradit Province, and 2) to develop Khao Tok Tad pumpkin cookie products through the Glocalization process and study consumer acceptance. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining ethnographic study through in-depth interviews with traditional knowledge holders and expert farmers specializing in Khao Tok pumpkin cultivation, followed by the development of three Khao Tok Tad pumpkin cookie recipes to test consumer satisfaction. The study revealed that the Khao Tok pumpkin variety is more than food, but rather an indicator of differences in thought and comparison for meaning definition of authentic tri-cultural food of Uttaradit Province. The processing into cookies demonstrates a cultural hybridization process of younger generations used as a tool for creating modern Thai identity that can coexist with globalization. The study also demonstrated that culture is not a museum that must be preserved unchanged, but rather a living process that adapts for survival, capable of growth, change, and adaptation.