Exploring Cultural Authenticity in Foreign Tourists’ Local Food Service Experiences through Online Reviews

This study explores how foreign tourists perceive cultural authenticity in local food service experiences through online reviews. Using qualitative content analysis of 567 reviews written between 2022 and 2024, the study identifies three interrelated dimensions of authenticity: service experience, cultural interpretation, and emotional authenticity. Tourists initially recognize authenticity through sensory factors such as food quality, service attitude, and atmosphere; interpret it through local traditions, storytelling, and regional identity; and ultimately internalize it through empathy, sincerity, and emotional connection. The results indicate that authenticity is not a fixed attribute of food itself but a dynamic process shaped through tourists’ sensory, cognitive, and emotional engagement with local culture. Local food thus serves as both a tangible and emotional medium linking cultural understanding and affective experience. This study expands the scope of authenticity research beyond heritage contexts and offers practical insights for developing food tourism strategies that emphasize human warmth, narrative experience, and sincere hospitality as key components of authentic cultural encounters.