New milestone for the Culinary Trail Project: launch of the new webpage

Preserving Culinary Heritage: How Activities A1.2 and A1.3 Are Shaping the Culinary Trail Project?

The Danube Region is home to a remarkable mosaic of cultures, histories, and culinary traditions. Preserving this rich gastronomic heritage is at the heart of the Culinary Trail Project, an initiative implemented within the Interreg Danube Programme. By combining cultural documentation with innovative digital solutions, the project seeks not only to safeguard traditional knowledge but also to make it accessible, engaging, and relevant for contemporary audiences.

Two key activities, A1.2 Cataloguing ethnic and local culinary heritage in the Danube Region and A1.3 Developing Danube Region ethnic Culinary Trail, play a central role in achieving this mission. Together, they form the backbone of a digital ecosystem that celebrates ethnic and local culinary traditions while fostering cross-border cultural exchange across the Danube Region.

A1.2 – Building a Digital Catalogue of Culinary Traditions

Activity A1.2 focuses on the systematic documentation of culinary heritage from 30 ethnic communities and minority groups across the Danube Region. This effort resulted in the collection of more than 700 units of culinary heritage in the Digital Cataloguing Tool (DCT), which now serves as the foundation for the Culinary Trail digital platforms.

To assess the effectiveness and usability of the Digital Cataloguing Tool, a first User Experience (UX) Survey was conducted among project partners who actively contributed to the cataloguing process. This internal evaluation helped identify the tool’s strengths while gathering constructive feedback on navigation, clarity, and functionality. The insights obtained proved invaluable for refining both the data collection process and future platform development.

A1.3 – Launching the Culinary Trail Webpage and Mobile App

Closely aligned with Activity A1.2, Activity A1.3, and the sub-activity regarding the creation of the Culinary Trail webpage and mobile application, translates the collected knowledge into an accessible and interactive digital experience: The Culinary Trail webpage.

The Culinary Trail webpage (https://culinarytrail.eu/) serves as an interactive gateway to the Danube Region’s rich culinary heritage. Visitors can explore the Digital Catalogue, which showcases hundreds of traditional recipes along with the cultural stories, preparation techniques, and historical context of each dish. The site also features Transnational Trails, connecting users to regional specialties and culinary experiences across borders, while offering opportunities for engagement through events, workshops, and collaborations with local communities. Designed with inclusivity and accessibility in mind, the platform enables casual visitors and culinary enthusiasts to easily navigate, discover, and share the region’s gastronomic traditions, bridging heritage with modern digital tools.

By integrating the digital catalogue into a user-friendly website and mobile app, the project ensures that culinary traditions are not confined to archives but become part of everyday life, available anytime, anywhere.

User Experience at the Core of Development

Collecting feedback has been a guiding principle throughout the development process. Building on the insights from the first internal survey circulated among partners, the A1.3 Activity Leader incorporated recommendations during the creation and finalisation of the Culinary Trail Webpage. This laid the groundwork for a second UX Survey, launched in January 2026, targeting external users and webpage visitors.

The results of both UX surveys are crucial. They directly inform the development of:

• Practical instructions for improving the Culinary Trail Webpage

• Enhanced data collection and quality control protocols

• Continuous improvements to the Digital Cataloguing Tool

Why Your Feedback Matters

The Culinary Trail Project is built for its users. By participating in the UX survey, users play an active role in shaping a platform that truly reflects the diversity and vitality of the Danube Region’s culinary heritage, ensuring that its flavors, stories, and traditions continue to thrive for generations to come.

Therefore, each visitor is invited to participate in shaping the future of the Danube’s culinary heritage by visiting the Culinary Trail webpage on the following link: https://culinarytrail.eu/

and by giving their feedback on the following link: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/culinary-trail