Traditional Products and New Developments in the Restaurant Sector in East Africa. The Case Study of Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Over the last 20 years, we have witnessed worldwide a renewed interest in local food products and traditional cuisine. Addressing this demand, the catering industry has played a pivotal role in reviving local food heritage and traditions. While several studies have explored the evolution of this trend in Europe, little attention has been given to this phenomenon in contemporary Africa. To partially fill this gap in the literature, we conducted an ethnographic study to investigate the role of the catering sector in recovering and promoting food and gastronomic heritage in Nakuru County, an emerging Kenyan agricultural and tourist hub. Specifically, we aimed at understanding the main drivers behind the offering and demand for traditional ingredients and recipes. Fieldwork was conducted through the analysis of 41 restaurants and hotels, and data collection was completed through semi-structured interviews with 51 professionals, including owners, food and beverage managers, and chefs. We reported 33 recipes and ingredients tied to Kenyan culinary traditions. Some differences in the role of Kenyan cuisine emerged, with the differentiation mostly linked to the customer profiles. In particular, attention toward traditional foods was more accentuated in restaurants aimed at middle- and high-income Kenyan customers and for specific products namely African leafy vegetables and indigenous chicken, locally known as kuku kienyeji. Concurrently, we discovered that the inclusion of these products on the restaurant menus implied an incipient localization of the food supply chains based on self-production or direct commercial relationships with small-scale producers. The research highlighted how the relaunch of traditional food and cuisine develops from a demand for healthy and natural products rather than a search for cultural authenticity. Based on the specificities of the local market, this fosters the creation of alternative supply strategies to cope with the poor quality of ingredients, price fluctuations, and discontinuity of the supply. In this sense, the research suggests also considering tangible factors linked to the technological and logistical conditions of the trade and safety of food to understand the drivers behind the rediscovery of local and traditional foods.

Potential of traditional Chilean blood-fleshed peach to support livelihood opportunities in local agriculture

“…In this model some fundamental stakeholders are chefs, restaurants, food entrepreneurs and research centers that can build networks between small producers and urban customers and act as knowledge transfer agents of agrobiodiversity and gastronomic heritage. There are many case studies about restaurants and food festivals that have contributed to increase the demand for traditional and local products provided directly by local producers along with the rediscovery of neglected food (Lane, 2011;Pereira et al, 2019;Fontefrancesco and Zocchi, 2020;Zocchi and Fontefrancesco, 2020). On the other hand, the linkage with food enterprises and research centers in processed foods allows the adoption of technologies to add value to food .…”

Gastronomi Şehri Afyonkarahisar ve Slow Food Nuh’un Ambarı Projesindeki Yeri

“…Bilgiler; ürünle ilgili üretim ve tüketim yöntemleri, tarih, ilişkili olduğu kültürel anlamlar hakkında özetleyici cümlelerden oluşmalıdır (Fontefrancesco & Zocchi, 2019). Bir ürünün Nuh'un Ambarı listesine aday olması için taşıması gereken ölçütler şöyle listelenmektedir (Çılgınoğlu & Güner, 2021;Fontefrancesco, Zocchi & Pieroni, 2022;Zocchi & Fontefrancesco, 2020): Afyonkarahisar'ın da yer aldığı Ege Bölgesi'nden en fazla başvurunun İzmir'den (%70) yapıldığı gözlemlenmiştir. İzmir'den yapılan başvurular arasında en fazla peynir çeşitlerinin yer aldığı tespit edilmiştir.…”

Recognising, Safeguarding, and Promoting Food Heritage: Challenges and Prospects for the Future of Sustainable Food Systems

“…In fact, heritage realisation often occurs via an encounter with a form of social diversity that forces actors to rethink their value system [5]. Phenomena such as migrations [42,49] and growing international interest in local food and food-related experiences (e.g., food tourism in rural regions) [17,68] can mobilise actors in the process towards the recognition of food as part of their collective heritage.…”

“…Legitimisation grants a specific group of people common but exclusive rights over selected elements of the foodscape, turning them into limited common property [53] (pp. 68,69). The risk of increasing inequalities can stem from the legal regulation of heritage that is transforming traditional practices into community law and converting them into private or state property.…”

“…In their analysis of the dynamics behind the revival of traditional cuisine in Nakuru County, Kenya, Zocchi and Fontefrancesco [68] showed that the inclusion of heirloom vegetables in the regional restaurant sector, prompted by a growing demand for natural and healthy products by middle and high-income customers, implied a localisation of food supply chains based on self-production of these crops. Although this practice has a positive impact on a segment of the regional restaurant sector, it does not foster the creation of networks between the stakeholders of the local food system.…”