Paper short abstract:

This paper compares indigenous food and taste in historical documents with those appeared in modern recipes of the indigenous culinary dishes. I argue merits and demerits of the cuisine as the cultural heritage, which is an appliance of civilization, for the local foods and its taste.

Paper long abstract:

The Cuisine as the cultural heritage is expected to inherit traditional food culture and create a new culinary practice from it. Its taste will be also expected to pass down its authentic flavors to next generations. However, culinary practice, especially according to the recipe may change the taste of dishes from the past ones especially when according to modernized recipes. This paper discusses what merits and demerits of the cuisine as the cultural heritage emerge as an appliance of civilization, while enacting a new local foods and taste.

In Taiwan, a social movement focusing on respect for indigenous peoples, cultures, and various indigenous rights was launched in the latter half of the 1980s. So-called "the aboriginal movement" mobilized and made the indigenous peoples keenly aware of their ethnic identity. They have developed the costume that visualizes the ethnicity and promoted language education that aurally brings up the ethnic identity within their community and beyond.

The indigenous cuisine also has developed as a means of representing food heritage and also as a resource for tourism and culture business. While the indigenousness is emphasized, ingredients, seasoning, and cookery used with this indigenous cuisine are different from those in the past. As a result, the original taste of the indigenous foods and the culinary practice are not necessarily inherited.

This study compares the contents of foods and cooking of the indigenous peoples in historical documents with the contemporary recipes of the indigenous modern culinary dishes, by examining the continuity and discontinuity between them.