LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND HERITAGE - TRADITIONAL FOOD AND CUISINE AS TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN RURAL-AREAS

This paper analyses the transformation and redefinition of local ident ity in rural France from the perspective of heritage - more precisely food and gastronomy - and local rural tourism. As an identity marker o f a geographic area and/or as a means of promoting farm products, gast ronomy meets the specific needs of consumers, local producers and othe r actors in rural tourism. The paper considers the meaning of food fro m a theoretical perspective. The current interest in traditional food and cuisine is part of a general desire for authentic experiences. At the regional level, the dynamics of building up heritage consist in ac tualizing, adapting, and re-interpreting elements from the past, thus combining conservation and innovation. Local development can be seen a s a process of territorial and heritage construction. Culinary heritag e is a social construction and an important resource for local action. The paper examines the case of the Haut Plateau de l' Aubrac (Central France), where the local development process is closely linked to the valorization and the re-creation of gastronomic knowledge and skill.