We investigated the efforts to advance the tradition of region-based food culture in school education in Kokufu-cho, the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.
In order to understand the food culture of Kokufu-cho, we conducted an interview survey on local products, traditional food, and ceremonial food. On the basis of the survey, we prepared recipes and a DVD on the traditional and ceremonial food, and we employed them as educational materials in dietary education. This education is provided to children and households with children, and participants prepare the traditional and ceremonial food that use local products while instructors provide the cultural background on the food and explain the characteristic properties of the ingredients. As a result, the children can compare the taste of the food prepared by them in the class with the food cooked at home, and by incorporating the traditional and ceremonial food that are specific to the region, we present them an opportunity to reconsider their dietary habits at home. There are also households in the child-rearing generation that do not maintain the customs of the traditional and ceremonial food, and some people prepared the traditional food in the class for the first time. This demonstrates that there is a need to pursue active and continuous efforts in the schools and community to advance the tradition of region-based food culture.
