Mutton – from unappreciated local food to delicious tourist attraction in a Swedish destination

From a sustainability and food-supply perspective, it is crucial to contribute to a reduction of food waste, such as meat raw materials, and to develop knowledge on how to make underexploited foods acceptable for inclusion on restaurant menus. This study applies a gastronomy perspective that integrates culinary arts with sensory science to support knowledge development and creativity in the restaurant industry. The aim was to explore locally produced mutton in collaboration with culinary craft practitioners and food producers, in a Swedish context. An additional aim was to design an applied model for creative and innovative meal solutions that are both sensory approved and sustainable. This was done through a combination of sensory evaluations and culinary workshops. This mixed-methods approach was used to merge qualitative and quantitative data to gain complementary views on the research problem. Identifying the knowledge and experience of lamb producers and culinary staff, was done by using sensory methods in connection with a qualitative approach that focused on observing cooking activities, conversations and group talks among participants. The sensory results indicated that mutton is a fully edible food material and can thus be defined as an unutilized gastronomic resource. Among the workshop participations, overall liking was high and evenly distributed between the mutton dishes. The main outcome of this study was the provision of a model for sustainable resource management of locally produced food. This model can be used for understanding the importance of the locality, sustainability and cultural acceptance of products, in addition to the value chains and network practices embedded in direct supply-chain relationships. From a long-term perspective, this understanding may lead to increased awareness, knowledge and skills among producers and restaurants regarding the benefits and opportunities of locally produced food.