FOOD HERITAGE IN THE CANTONAL SEAT OF PENIPE, PROVINCE OF CHIMBORAZO: TRADITION, IDENTITY AND PERSPECTIVES FOR ITS SAFEGUARDING

Abstract

The research addressed the problem of the decrease in interest and the devaluation of Food Heritage in the canton. Penipe is one of the primary cantons of the province of Chimborazo, distinguished by its culinary diversity, which is intricately tied to a culinary tradition that has been meticulously preserved and handed down through successive generations. However, the acculturation of its inhabitants and the adoption of modern culinary practices and techniques have threatened to eliminate the ancestral knowledge of its inhabitants. The primary objective of the research was to delineate the characteristics of the food heritage and its impact on the tourism development of the canton, with the aim of proposing strategies that contribute to the preservation and promotion of Penipe. The research employs a mixed and descriptive approach, characterized by a non-experimental and cross-sectional field design. The design is non-experimental and cross-sectional in nature because the survey was administered over a brief period to the proprietors of restaurants and bus stops in the Penipe canton. The reliability of the instruments was verified by means of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which resulted in a value of 0.818. This value was subsequently rated as "very good" by the researcher.