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Ten Unesco heritage foods
Food is not only something to feed oneself with but it is also a cultural aspect of a people, of a geographical area, which tells a lot about the history and traditions of those who live in those lands.
UNESCO is also well aware of this, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that from time to time proclaims some foods as a World Heritage Site precisely because food can also be considered as a type of art, culture, identity of one or more neighboring states.
Recently UNESCO declared the French baguette or the Tunisian harissa a World Heritage Site. However, there are many foods considered World Heritage Sites, let's discover some of them.
Unesco heritage foods: the Neapolitan pizza
Some foods have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This is because food also represents an art, culture and brings people together. Among these foods there is the Neapolitan pizza , which became a World Heritage Site in 2017.
Food and Unesco: the borcht
The borcht is a soup made of beetroot, cabbage, broth, beef and pork and to which sour cream is added. It is a typical soup of Ukraine but also of Russia and became a UNESCO heritage site in 2022.
A recent nomination, the baguette French
The baguette, a typical bread symbol of French daily life, became a UNESCO heritage site in November 2022.
A typical food of North Africa, the cous cous
A typical dish of North Africa, cous cous became an intangible heritage of humanity at the end of 2020, after a rather long process started by some countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
A spicy sauce, theharissa
Theharissa, typical of Tunisia, is a sauce made from fresh red chili, garlic and olive oil, similar to the tomato paste that became a World Heritage Site in November 2022.
The drink of a people, the Belgian beer
Belgian beer became a World Heritage Site in 2016 because, according to UNESCO, its diversity and inimitable peculiarities should be rewarded, but also the strength and intensity that the drink has from a cultural point of view.
Kimchi, from Asia a popular dish
kimchi is a typical food of Korean cuisine and became a World Heritage Site in 2013. It is prepared with pickled fermented Chinese cabbage leaves to which, in the most popular recipe, chilli, ginger, squid sauce, fresh spring onions and garlic are added.
Lavash, a traditional bread
The lavash, the traditional Armenian bread that can be up to a meter long and no thicker than a couple of millimeters, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Nsima, the main dish of the diet in Southeast Africa
"nsima" refers to the entire culinary tradition of Malawi, which is very important in the diet of southeastern Africa. UNESCO has declared this culture a World Heritage Site thanks to the process of preparing the dish, which requires very specific skills. The proclamation came in 2017.
The most famous cuisine, the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. The request was proposed by Italy, Spain, Greece and Morocco, who defined it as "a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions, ranging from landscape to table".