Slow food in slow tourism

In this chapter, we intend to propose a reflection about the pivotal role food and gastronomy play in the slow tourism discourse. Given its societal and cultural relevance, gastronomy directly interfaces with tourism, and holds the potential to become a medium of cultural tourism. Yet, to promote successful slow touristic projects, host societies must not only acknowledge and preserve the deep cultural value of local gastronomy, but also acquire the ability to share original food- and life-styles with the visitors, aiming at the ultimate purpose of satisfying the experiential needs of tourists while maintaining authenticity of relations and daily practices. Slow Food principles, is argued, can guide this process, and foster the fertile exchange between hosts and visitors while safeguarding traditional knowledge and moving towards in the sustainability agenda. The sections of this chapter follow these lines of argumentation, aiming at setting the basis for furthering the comprehension of the interlinkages between food, society, culture and tourism