Culinary Heritage, Community-Based Learning, and Sustainable Territorial Development: Evidence from Saraguro, Ecuador

Saraguro culinary heritage represents an important expression of intangible cultural heritage and a potential resource for community-based gastronomy education and sustainable territorial development. This study examines traditional culinary knowledge, community participation, and collaborative gastronomic innovation in Saraguro, Ecuador, exploring their potential educational and territorial implications. A qualitative exploratory design incorporated documentary analysis, focus group discussions with 12 local knowledge holders, culinary stimulus-assisted discussions, and collaborative culinary reconstruction involving community members, chefs, and university gastronomy students. Thematic analysis examined traditional ingredients, culinary practices, cultural meanings, and intergenerational knowledge transmission. The findings identified culturally significant preparations, including uchumati, roasted guinea pig, tilapia maito, and chicha de jora, highlighting their connections with territorial identity and ancestral knowledge. Collaborative activities supported the development of contemporary gastronomic proposals informed by traditional culinary practices. These findings suggest opportunities for culturally responsible gastronomic innovation and community-based education. However, student learning outcomes, intercultural competence, and territorial identity changes were not directly assessed. The study contributes to documenting Saraguro culinary heritage and identifies potential connections among cultural safeguarding, experiential gastronomy education, and sustainable territorial development that warrant further empirical evaluation.