For hundreds of years, traditional ritual food has been an important ethnocultural trait for different nationalities. Characteristic of any ethnic group, its foods were also a product of its folklore and religious traditions. In modern times, as links between different nationalities become more accessible, there is a serious "modernization" of traditional cuisine. Through the internet, the cuisine of the peoples from all over the world is accessible by anyone, whether resident in a small village or in a city. The phenomenon of unification of the kitchen and commercialization of holidays (when it is mainly the preparation of traditional ritual food) is increasingly occurring. EuRiCa Project strives to contribute and foster the preservation of the ritual cuisine, its ethnocultural traits, as well as the folklore and traditions connected with it via the development of a methodology for digitization and creation of digital representations of ritual recipes which to be integrated into the virtual culture space of Europe and thus to be accessible globally. The digitalization of ritual recipes and the creation of their appropriate virtual representations increases the need for appropriate methods and IT solutions that support access to these little-known ethnographic objects, as well as providing the means to make them popular. As the culture sector evolves and changes, so do the skills required of individuals active in the sector who are specialists in areas, which require high-levels of knowledge but most often they are not directly connected to the IT sector. To meet this challenge EuRiCa will elaborate open and innovative training program, educational materials and e-tools for less time-consuming and cost-effective teaching on how the Europe ritual cuisine as a specific ethnographic object, could be presented, promoted and preserved in a global and long-term perspective. Moreover, a practical guide on how to implement developed methods and how to use the defined procedures and acquired skills in other domain will be provided as well in order to foster the preserving and developing cultural diversity and creating a "common" European identity.
The EuRiCa project aims to preserve the ethnocultural traits, folklore, and traditions associated with ritual cuisine by developing a methodology for digitizing and creating digital representations of ritual recipes to be integrated into the virtual culture space of Europe, thereby making these unique ethnographic objects accessible worldwide. The project focuses on building/improving competencies for digital presentation and storage of ritual recipes in cultural and creative industry specialists (VET and C-VET learners) through flexible and accessible training, implemented through a specialized open e-course based on innovative training programs, educational resources and interactive electronic tools developed and implemented in the EuRiCa virtual learning environment based on open-source software solutions. At the end of the course, the specialists apply the acquired knowledge and skills on how to digitally present, promote and preserve recipes from European ritual cuisine as specific digital ethnographic objects in a cost-effective and time-efficient way, digitizing ritual recipes from their countries. Thus, cooperating through the built network, they create a globally accessible collection of European ritual recipes.
The safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage is of international concern, representing living practices, representations, expressions, skills, and knowledge that are significant aspects of identity. At the European level, the digitization of cultural heritage is identified as a key factor in promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. Digital transition significantly impacts the cultural sector, creating a huge need to upskill and retrain the workforce to digitize cultural heritage assets using modern solutions, tools and proper methodologies. EuRiCa project aims to foster the preservation of the intangible cultural heritage, specifically European ritual cuisine, by developing a methodology for the creation of digitized ritual recipes which to be integrated into the virtual cultural space and thus be globally accessible and transmitted to future generations. The project also focuses on the development of tailored and innovative training programs and educational resources to improve the knowledge, skills and competencies of specialists from cultural and creative industries in the digital presentation, promotion, and preservation of ritual cuisine in Europe as well as creating a cooperation network for the purpose.