cinephilia
11-16-2010, 06:02 PM
It's official. French gastronomy was today declared to be a part of the world's heritage.
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization committee meeting in Nairobi picked French food and Mexico's traditional cuisine among submissions from 29 countries for the "intangible" heritage list.
"The choice of good products, mainly rural, the assembling of dishes and wines, the decoration of the table and the gestures of smelling and tasting what has been served on the table" is what contributed to the decision on the French entry, according to e-mail from the Unesco Paris press office.
The move marks the first time a cuisine has made the list. The submissions have come from all over the world, with decisions still being made on many of them.
India proposed its Chhau dance tradition from the country's eastern regions. Azerbaijan submitted its handmade rugs, Belgium the annual carnival organized in the town of Alost, while China proposed acupuncture and the Beijing opera tradition, according the Unesco.
France "welcomes this decision, which celebrates the great wealth of our food and culinary heritage," Agriculture Minister Bruno Lemaire and Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said in a joint statement. The two ministries will take "concrete measures to preserve" the French gastronomical tradition, including in schools, they said.
Unesco also added France's Alencon lace and the traditional methods of the Compagnons du Tour de France, which comprises artisan who work with wood and stone on some of the country's cathedrals.
Source (http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-16/french-gastronomy-voted-world-s-intangible-heritage-by-unesco.html)
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization committee meeting in Nairobi picked French food and Mexico's traditional cuisine among submissions from 29 countries for the "intangible" heritage list.
"The choice of good products, mainly rural, the assembling of dishes and wines, the decoration of the table and the gestures of smelling and tasting what has been served on the table" is what contributed to the decision on the French entry, according to e-mail from the Unesco Paris press office.
The move marks the first time a cuisine has made the list. The submissions have come from all over the world, with decisions still being made on many of them.
India proposed its Chhau dance tradition from the country's eastern regions. Azerbaijan submitted its handmade rugs, Belgium the annual carnival organized in the town of Alost, while China proposed acupuncture and the Beijing opera tradition, according the Unesco.
France "welcomes this decision, which celebrates the great wealth of our food and culinary heritage," Agriculture Minister Bruno Lemaire and Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said in a joint statement. The two ministries will take "concrete measures to preserve" the French gastronomical tradition, including in schools, they said.
Unesco also added France's Alencon lace and the traditional methods of the Compagnons du Tour de France, which comprises artisan who work with wood and stone on some of the country's cathedrals.
Source (http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-16/french-gastronomy-voted-world-s-intangible-heritage-by-unesco.html)