2025/06/20 by Esteban Gonzalo Rubio-Rueda, Sonia Lorena Arellano Guerrón · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Social Sciences · #Culinary Culture and Tourism #Food, Nutrition, and Cultural Practices #Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education
paper · pdf · doi:10.70221/rgc.v4i1.91
openalex publication_date 2025/06/20 · openalex created_date 2025/06/21 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Intergenerational transmission of culinary knowledge is essential for preserving cultural food heritage. Pedagogical strategies that foster generational interaction are increasingly relevant in gastronomic education. This study analyzes the impact of the Today My Grandmother Cooks contest as a teaching-learning strategy for culinary knowledge transfer in Imbabura, Ecuador. Using a qualitative approach, 47 traditional recipes were collected through live cooking session observations, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis. The participants included 28 elderly women and 16 gastronomy students. Findings indicate that culinary knowledge was passed down through traditional techniques, ancestral utensils such as clay pots and tiestos, and a distinctive local culinary lexicon. Maize emerged as the central ingredient and a symbol of Andean food identity. The most represented categories were main dishes, non-alcoholic beverages, and wrapped foods. The contest served as a situated learning model that integrated empirical knowledge from elder women with academic culinary training. It enhanced cultural identity, validated ancestral knowledge, and contributed to the safeguarding of local gastronomic heritage.