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The aim of this study is to understand the diverse ways in which gastronomy and heritage are related and how this specifically applies to tourism in the city of Tainan, Taiwan and their traditional snack food. Interviews conducted with local food commodity experts in Taiwan generated in-depth insights into distinctive cultural traditions and particular historical circumstances well beyond the immediate producers and consumers. Four issues emerged from these interviews: the concept of what constitutes traditional food, modifications in the method of food production, the role of traditional food within society, and historical inheritance through mass media promotion. The drive toward innovation, when opposed by the force of tradition, can indirectly sustain the configuration of cultural heritage which can be expressed through food as the art of gastronomy.