Traditional Culinary Heritage of Loboc, Bohol: Basis for Community-Based Sustainability Framework

Local food cultures in the Philippines remain unevenly documented, and the foodways of Loboc, Bohol, a riverside town better known for tourism and music, have received little scholarly attention. This study described the traditional culinary heritage of Loboc and examined how it is transmitted and sustained amid modernization and tourism, as a basis for a community-based sustainability framework. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the researchers conducted semi-structured key informant interviews with ten (10) purposively selected participants, including elders, home cooks, barangay officials, and the municipal cultural officer. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings showed that Loboc’s culinary heritage is embedded in everyday and communal life and is transmitted mainly through family-based, experiential learning. Its continuity is challenged by declining youth engagement, convenience food, reduced access to native ingredients, weak documentation, and fragmented institutional support. Guided by these findings, the study proposes a community-based sustainability framework organized around protection, education, promotion, and coordinated support. The study contributes locally grounded evidence for safeguarding Loboc’s culinary heritage as a living cultural practice.