"The mission of Unesco is to enhance and protect a tradition, not to distribute a medal of excellence", begins Lucía Iglesias, editor in charge of external relations and public information at Unesco (1).
Gastronomy brings together both techniques related to craftsmanship but also to rituals and festive events.
Some traditional dishes can therefore be classified as intangible cultural heritage.
Each State has the right to one application per year to update the list of world intangible cultural heritage, all categories combined.
Several States can also submit a joint application, this is what is envisaged by the Maghreb countries for couscous.
Be careful, however, not to confuse this label with the world heritage of
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In addition to corresponding to the definition of cultural heritage, "the application file must meet four criteria", specifies Lucía Iglesias.
First, the practice in question must obviously be present in the territory of the nominating state – indeed it would be incongruous for Kenya to defend dim sum.
The proposal must also be supported by the actors of this practice.
Without the mobilization of pizzaiolos, Neapolitan pizza would not have been recognized as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
And, finally, concrete safeguarding measures must accompany the application.
The files are then examined individually by twelve independent experts.
“They are the ones who give their approval to possibly support the candidacy before it is examined by the Committee.
A year later, it is this sovereign and independent body, made up of Member States, which completes the list at an annual meeting,” adds Lucía Iglesias.
“In reality, Unesco is just a secretariat.
We have no opinion on the matter,” she said.
On average, the Committee analyzes fifty files per year.
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Croatian gingerbread, Korean kimchi
More than a dozen specialties and their ancestral techniques have already been recorded.
Like Croatian gingerbread, flatbread sharing in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, “nisma” (a kind of thick corn porridge) from Malawi or “kimchi”, Korean fermented vegetables.
On the alcohol side, we find the culture of beer in Belgium and winemaking in Georgian “kvevri” (made in terracotta pots, in the shape of an egg).
Cocorico, since 2010, the gastronomic meal of the French is also on the list.
In 2013, traditional Mexican cuisine, the Mediterranean diet and "washoku", the menu of the Japanese to celebrate the New Year, were also added.
(1) Lucía Iglesias is editor in charge of external relations and public information at
Unesco
.
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