社會科學研究的「飲食文化」是一種群體飲食習慣的文化概念，其內涵不僅包括調理方式、食材與食物器皿的選用等實體層面的意義，也發展出節慶表徵、飲食禮節等社會性意義，以及食品加工、外食餐飲產業等經濟性意義。然而，在資本主義與全球化的快速發展下，消費、行銷的經濟概念逐漸凌駕一切，也使得以「消費者行為」為基本考量的管理思維，衍生出飲食文化符號的拼貼現象，並以「創意飲食」、「創作料理」的名義，出現在台灣客家飲食文化之中。而台灣客家料理正處於此一轉變局面，擺盪在文化與市場、傳統與創新之間。本研究聚焦於台灣客家飲食的傳統與創新思維的擺盪現象，藉由對客家餐飲業者的實地訪談，以及對市售客家料理食譜的比較分析，發現客家地區的客家餐館多以堅持客家傳統、傳承客家風味為己任；而都市客家餐館為因應現代都市的新飲食品味，發展出取用食材的安全化、烹飪手法的健康化、菜色組合的個人化與經營管理的現代化等趨勢。

The concept of "dietary culture" in social science refers to a cultural eating habit of groups. This concept is combined with the real meanings like cooking ways, material choosing, the social meanings like festival celebration, eating manners, and the economic meanings like food processing, food Industries. However, the economic meanings of dietary culture overrode any other meanings under the speedy development of capitalism and globalization. Moreover, the management thinking of consumer behavior brought about the bricolage phenomenon of dietary cultural symbols, and promoted the development of Hakka creative cuisine. The aim of his paper is to show the swing of the pendulum from the tradition and the innovation. According to the interview to the Hakka chefs, and the analysis of Hakka recipes of cookbooks, two conclusions have been formulated. First, the Hakka restaurants in Hakka areas would like to insist the traditional Hakka flavors. Second, the Hakka restaurants in cities would like to put some creative thinking in preparing materials, cooking ways and managing means.