Utilizing Digital Platforms for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culinary Arts As A Community Empowerment Tool
Abstract
Traditional culinary arts represent not only gastronomic heritage but also local identity and economic potential for communities. However, globalization and rapid changes in consumption patterns have contributed to a gradual decline in cultural food practices, especially in rural areas. Digital platforms offer new opportunities to preserve, promote, and commercialize traditional cuisines while strengthening community participation in the cultural economy. This study aims to examine how digital platforms can be effectively utilized to document culinary heritage, enhance market visibility for local food artisans, and foster sustainable community empowerment. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining qualitative interviews with culinary practitioners and tourism stakeholders, along with observational analysis of digital content and online engagement metrics. The findings reveal that digital platforms particularly social media, e-commerce applications, and online storytelling tools play a significant role in revitalizing traditional culinary knowledge, expanding product reach to broader markets, and increasing income opportunities for local communities. However, inconsistencies in digital literacy and limited access to technology remain significant constraints. The study concludes that integrating digital strategies into cultural food preservation programs can strengthen community resilience while ensuring the continuity of culinary heritage across generations. A collaborative ecosystem involving local governments, educational institutions, and technology providers is necessary to optimize digital empowerment outcomes. Future studies are encouraged to explore scalable models for digital culinary entrepreneurship to support sustainable cultural economy development.
Full text article
References
Al Matani, A. (2025). Defining the Intangible: Negotiating Intangible Cultural Heritage in Modern Oman. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2025.2526912
Badaraev, D., & Gombozhapov, A. (2025). Territorial and kinship principles in the social organization of the nomadic population of Mongolia (based on the materials of the Central Aimag of Mongolia). Ojkumena. Regional Researches, 19(2), 110–119. https://doi.org/10.63973/1998-6785/2025-2/110-119
Cao, B. (2025). Significant integrations: Archaeological insights into the early formation of the Chinese nation and civilization. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 9(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-025-00147-5
Cerchione, R., Morelli, M., Passaro, R., & Quinto, I. (2025). Balancing sustainability and circular justice: The challenge of the energy transition. Journal of Cleaner Production, 494, 144942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.144942
Chakraborty, P., & Ghatani, K. (2026). A Documentation on the traditional fermentation practices and contemporary perspectives of Mishti doi in Bengal. Discover Food, 6(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-026-00806-2
Cueva Chacón, P., Palla Prieto, M., Barton Carmen, M., & Zubieta Zamudio, S. (2025). Gastronomic Identity as a Basis for Gastronomic Tourism’s Development. An Exploration of Coastal Cuisine in El Salvador. Dalam J. Mejía, H. Cardona Reyes, J. Álvarez-García, M. D. L. C. Del Río-Rama, & R. M. Esparza-Huamanchumo (Ed.), Trends in the ICTs Toward Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy (Vol. 1451, hlm. 197–206). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93550-3_18
Derashri, A., Sharma, D., Dwivedi, A., & Rajput, D. (2025). Future Directions and Innovations. Dalam S. K. Jain, R. Gupta, S. Vengurlekar, & N. Bais (Ed.), Quality Assurance of Ethno-Herbals: Cultivating Confidence in Alternative Medicine (hlm. 121–136). BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS. https://doi.org/10.2174/9789815274554125010011
Du, S., & Cheong, C. Y. M. (2025). Beyond the scenic view: A multimodal discourse analysis of sustainable tourism imaginaries on TikTok in Anhui, China. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 690. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05015-3
European University at St. Petersburg, & Malyshev, G. N. (2025). From Yaranga to Cottage: The Dynamics of Relations Between Indigenous People of Chukotka and the State Through the Lens of Architectural and Construction History in National Settlements. Sibirskie istoricheskie issledovaniya, (1), 99–134. https://doi.org/10.17223/2312461X/47/6
Gao, H., Lv, G., & Huang, R. (2025). A Narrative Pharmacological Review: Current Research Status of in vivo and in vitro Applications of Natural Spice Celery Seed. Natural Product Communications, 20(3), 1934578X251325063. https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X251325063
Goje, K. (2025). Revisiting Disabilities in view of the Sunnah: Roles of the Disabled in National Sustainable Development. Human Arenas. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-024-00466-7
Hazra, S., Datta, D., Paul, C., Roy, P. K., Sultana, S., Kumar, S., & Dutta, S. (2025). Electric vehicle integrated tidal-solar-wind-hydro-thermal systems for strengthing the microgrid and environment sustainability. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 14888. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98594-9
He, J., & Liang, N. (2025). Application of Artificial Intelligence and Data-Driven Smart Marketing in the Industrialization of Intangible Cultural Heritage Cuisine: A Case Study of Chaoshan Cuisine. Proceedings of the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Conference on Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence, 1119–1124. https://doi.org/10.1145/3745238.3745413
Hounkpe, F., Idohou, R., Mama, A., Vihotogbe, R., Koura, K., Houehanou, T., & Ganglo, J. C. (2025). Ethnobotanical study of Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich. And its parasites of the genus Tapinanthus in Benin. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 33. https://doi.org/10.32859/era.33.17.1-14
Kaya, Ü. C., Zeybek, R., K?z?leli, M., Öztürk, B., Aksoy, M., & Tahmaz, G. S. (2026). Fusion Cuisine. Dalam International Encyclopedia of Business Management (hlm. 966–968). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-13701-3.00476-X
Lim, E. C. N., Yu, X. F., & Lim, C. E. D. (2025). Beyond pharmaceuticals: Integrating Chinese culinary medicine with modern nutritional science for holistic diabetes management. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, S2095754825000808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcms.2025.08.003
Massini-Cagliari, G. (2025). Social Status and Linguistic Prejudice in Brazil. Dalam J. Setter, S. Dovchin, & V. A. Ramjattan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice (1 ed., hlm. 396–416). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192869203.013.20
Natonis, R. J. I., Jazuli, M., Utomo, U., Widodo, W., & Narselina, P. M. (2025). Sasando as a Symbol of Cultural Identity of the Rote Island Community and the Challenges of Preserving. Resital: Jurnal Seni Pertunjukan, 26(1), 68–95. https://doi.org/10.24821/resital.v26i1.15071
Nwozichi, C. U., Salako, O., Oppong, A. F., & Ojewale, M. O. (2025). Cancer advocacy, barriers and associated factors among adolescents and young adults with cancer in Africa. ecancermedicalscience, 19. https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1888
Ö?retmeno?lu, M., Ak?n, G., Huang, T.-Y. T., & K?z?l?rmak, ?. (2026). Effect of slow food experience on WoM: The moderating role of food neophilia and the mediating role of eudaimonic and hedonic well-being. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 43, 101418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2026.101418
Santos, C. C. D., Santos, D. V. D. D., Dias, M. K., Carpinelli, L. P., Gonçalo, S. L., & Stefanello, S. (2025). Os desafios da atenção psicossocial regionalizada. Interface - Comunicação, Saúde, Educação, 29, e240486. https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.240486
Setiarto, R. H. B., Herlina, V. T., & Anshory, L. (2026). Exploring Kerak Telor as a Traditional Food of the Betawi Tribe, Jakarta, Indonesia. Food Ethics, 11(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41055-025-00188-8
Sharma, A., Kumar, J., & Ray, S. (Ed.). (2025). Gastronomic Tourism: Discovering the World through Culinary Journeys. CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781800628854.0000
Slobodianiuk, N., Stetsiuk, I., Sattarov, K., Pozhuieva, T., & Shchegolevatykh, D. (2025). Economic efficiency of sustainable food production. Scientific Horizons, 89–103. https://doi.org/10.48077/scihor2.2025.89
Torres-Miralles, M., Jeanneret, P., Lamminen, M., Joly, F., Dumont, B., Tuomisto, H., & Herzon, I. (2025). High nature value farming systems in Europe: A dataset encompassing the environmental impact assessment of farms and extensive ruminant food products. Data in Brief, 58, 111164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.111164
Tunçsiper, Ç. (2025). Bridging the digital divide with gender equity in the digital world: Empirical insights from OECD countries. Journal of Work-Applied Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWAM-08-2024-0119
Uprarawanna, U., Kaewsritong, J., & Srikaeo, K. (2025). Bamboo: Global Occurrence and Its Significance as Food and Related Products. Crops, 5(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops5020011
Wang, L., Liu, Z., She, Y., Cao, Y., Gong, M., Wang, M., & Qu, S. (2025). Exploring the network structure of virtual water trade among China’s cities. Journal of Environmental Management, 388, 125968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125968
Zocchi, D. M. (2025). Food heritage in the restaurant industry: Challenges, strategies, and implications. Dalam Reference Module in Food Science (hlm. B9780443159763000970). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15976-3.00097-0
Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Lindström, Johan Nilsson, Ingrid Olsson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
