Food Souvenir Authenticity and the Process of Emergence: The Case of Nougat Cracker Syndrome in Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of nougat cracker syndrome among Korean tourists in Taipei, Taiwan, foregrounding the evolving concept of authenticity in tourism food souvenirs. Using a phenomenological case study approach, the study conducted interviews with 12 tourist groups (21 tourists) and four popular nougat cracker vendors, along with field observations. It investigates how authenticity is achieved beyond local food traditions through entrepreneurial emergence, municipal-level campaigns, social influence via online platforms, and shifts in the local business landscape that diversify tourism experiences. Authenticity, understood as a process of emergence, is examined through various factors: the prominent nougat cracker vendor MIMI and Taipei’s municipal-level campaign as pre-authenticity; memory of taste as the interaction of pre-, proto-, and post-authenticity; the increasing number of nougat cracker vendors in the city, viewed from a phenomenological perspective, as in situ authenticity; and the role of social media in both pre- and post-authenticity. This study contributes to the theoretical expansion of food souvenir authenticity and offers practical implications for developing food souvenir items that transcend conventional notions of authenticity.