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"Salt is the Soul of Hakka Baked Chicken": Reimagining Traditional Chinese Culinary ICH for Modern Contexts Without Losing Tradition

Sijia Liu, XiaoKe Zeng, Fengyihan Wu, Shu Ye, Bowen Liu, Sidney Cheung, Richard William Allen, Ray Lc

TL;DR

Globalization pressures threaten traditional Chinese culinary ICH, and this study investigates GenAI-enabled co-creation with experienced practitioners to reimagine recipes for modern contexts while preserving core traditions. Through in-person workshops using ChatGPT, Doubao, and Zhipu, the authors identify three main innovation pathways—new dish variations, health-enhanced options, and cross-cultural fusion—grounded in traditional workflows. GenAI offers inspiration and expanded expressive capabilities, but challenges such as cultural bias, feasibility, and taste preservation require careful design of human–AI collaboration. The findings provide actionable guidance for safeguarding and evolving culinary ICH in global contexts through targeted, culturally aware co-creative practices.

Abstract

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) like traditional culinary practices face increasing pressure to adapt to globalization while maintaining their cultural authenticity. Centuries-old traditions in Chinese cuisine are subject to rapid changes for adaptation to contemporary tastes and dietary preferences. The preservation of these cultural practices requires approaches that can enable ICH practitioners to reimagine and recreate ICH for modern contexts. To address this, we created workshops where experienced practitioners of traditional Chinese cuisine co-created recipes using GenAI tools and realized the dishes. We found that GenAI inspired ICH practitioners to innovate recipes based on traditional workflows for broader audiences and adapt to modern dining contexts. However, GenAI-inspired co-creation posed challenges in maintaining the accuracy of original ICH workflows and preserving traditional flavors in the culinary outcomes. This study offers implications for designing human-AI collaborative processes for safeguarding and enhancing culinary ICH.

"Salt is the Soul of Hakka Baked Chicken": Reimagining Traditional Chinese Culinary ICH for Modern Contexts Without Losing Tradition

TL;DR

Globalization pressures threaten traditional Chinese culinary ICH, and this study investigates GenAI-enabled co-creation with experienced practitioners to reimagine recipes for modern contexts while preserving core traditions. Through in-person workshops using ChatGPT, Doubao, and Zhipu, the authors identify three main innovation pathways—new dish variations, health-enhanced options, and cross-cultural fusion—grounded in traditional workflows. GenAI offers inspiration and expanded expressive capabilities, but challenges such as cultural bias, feasibility, and taste preservation require careful design of human–AI collaboration. The findings provide actionable guidance for safeguarding and evolving culinary ICH in global contexts through targeted, culturally aware co-creative practices.

Abstract

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) like traditional culinary practices face increasing pressure to adapt to globalization while maintaining their cultural authenticity. Centuries-old traditions in Chinese cuisine are subject to rapid changes for adaptation to contemporary tastes and dietary preferences. The preservation of these cultural practices requires approaches that can enable ICH practitioners to reimagine and recreate ICH for modern contexts. To address this, we created workshops where experienced practitioners of traditional Chinese cuisine co-created recipes using GenAI tools and realized the dishes. We found that GenAI inspired ICH practitioners to innovate recipes based on traditional workflows for broader audiences and adapt to modern dining contexts. However, GenAI-inspired co-creation posed challenges in maintaining the accuracy of original ICH workflows and preserving traditional flavors in the culinary outcomes. This study offers implications for designing human-AI collaborative processes for safeguarding and enhancing culinary ICH.
Paper Structure (32 sections, 7 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 32 sections, 7 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Food as Intangible Cultural Heritage
  4. Adapting Chinese ICH Food to a Globalized World
  5. The Role of Digital Technologies in Safeguarding ICH
  6. Human Food Interaction
  7. Methods
  8. Participants Recruitment
  9. Workshop Procedure
  10. Initial Interview and Guidance
  11. Cooking Practice
  12. Reimagine and Recreate with GenAI
  13. Follow-up Interview
  14. Data Collection and Analysis
  15. Results
  16. ...and 17 more sections

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: Workshop Structure
  • Figure 2: A) Claypot Rice prepared by P2; B) Thai Coconut Chicken Fusion version of Claypot Rice generated by GenAI; C) Fruit-inspired version of Claypot Rice generated by GenAI.
  • Figure 3: A) Innovated Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken for youth gatherings generated by GenAI; B) Low-calorie version of Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken innovated by GenAI; C) Thai cuisine fusion version of Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken innovated by GenAI.
  • Figure 4: A) Liuyang Steamed Pork Ribs prepared by P7; B) Liuyang Steamed Pork Ribs multi-dish health set meal innovated by GenAI; C) Molecular gastronomy version of Liuyang Steamed Pork Ribs innovated by GenAI; D) Healthier version of Liuyang Steamed Pork Ribs with added vegetables prepared by P7, based on B) and the related AI-generated recipe.
  • Figure 5: P11: A) Shaanxi Oil-Spilled Noodles cooked by P11 B) A series of AI-generated fusion dishes blending Shaanxi Oil-Spilled Noodles with elements of Western cuisine.
  • ...and 2 more figures