Gastronomy as Living Cultural Heritage: Cultural Discovery, Authenticity, Gastronomic Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions in Serbia

Gastronomy provides an experiential connection between tourism and living cultural heritage through traditional food practices, cultural discovery, authenticity, and sensory engagement. This study examines the associations among Gastronomic Motivation and Cultural Discovery (GMCD), Authenticity and Sensory Attributes (ASAs), Gastronomic Satisfaction (GS), and Loyalty-Related Behavioral Intentions (LBIs) in Serbia. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured bilingual questionnaire and a non-probability sample of 138 respondents. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis were employed. GMCD was positively associated with ASAs (β = 0.674), which was strongly associated with GS (β = 0.756). Both ASAs and GS remained significant predictors of LBIs in a multiple regression model (R2 = 0.468). The mediation analyses identified positive indirect associations for ASAs → GS → LBIs (β = 0.258) and GMCD → ASAs → GS → LBIs (β = 0.119). Heritage-oriented indicators were positively correlated with satisfaction (r = 0.680) and behavioral intentions (r = 0.585). However, confirmatory factor analysis indicated inadequate measurement-model fit (CFI = 0.790; RMSEA = 0.119), with additional concerns regarding discriminant validity. These findings suggest that cultural discovery, perceived authenticity, and sensory attributes are closely related to gastronomic satisfaction and behavioral intentions among the surveyed respondents. By examining these relationships within a single heritage-oriented framework, the study complements previous research on gastronomic motivation, experience evaluations, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions and provides exploratory evidence from the Serbian context. Nevertheless, the non-probability sample, limited measurement validity, and cross-sectional design restrict the generalizability and interpretation of the findings.