Rural tourism and food, identity and heritage: a look back at the Campos de Cima da Serra Route in nostalgic times.

This paper aims to promote reflection on rural tourism and its interface with food as a reference point for identity and as a constituent part of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). In this sense, because of its communicative potential - its capacity to express culture and people s lives through methods of preparation, recipes, and meanings - food presents itself to tourists as a product. Data collected from participant observation was supported by indepth interviews carried out with the members of the family that owns the tourism business in question. The analysis points out that food provides evidence of the circumstances of intercultural contact which has left its mark on family rituals, routines of life, values, and history.