Introduction

In every historical era and across continents, as food travelled from one region to another, it adapted to climatic conditions and everyday living habits, shaped by collective memories and the identities of both the old and new homelands. Exploring food transformation and adaptation across different regions reveals a rich variety of recipes, rituals, techniques, and ingredients – each transformed through interactions and connections. From these stories and practices, new food identities emerge, evolving in response to new environments and living habits. This volume explores the transformative nature of food through a food design perspective, with a particular focus on migration, adaptation, and connections to cultural food identities. The volume offers timely and relevant insights from diverse cultural and disciplinary perspectives, connecting food design research and practice. With a focus on transcultural and transdisciplinary design research methodologies, this volume frames food migration as both a design process and a transformative act, leading to the adaptation of food identities across cultures. As the climate crisis increasingly impacts global food systems, food design and design research are essential to understand and navigate the evolving transformations of food, eating, and living. These systems are revealed through innovation, experimentation, and the collaborative efforts of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and communities.