Food for the important Moments - UNESCO puts the Tart Variety under Protection
France is the country of passions. Both, in terms of romantic love and regarding the love of food. Which country is associated with that many delicacies such as crepe, macaroons, baguette, cheese, croissants, mussels, wine ...? The French cuisine is an integral part of the famous "Savoir-vivre". The UNESCO has officially approved this fact in 2010.
"We run the best cuisine in the world!" What, in 2008, sounded highly confident from the mouth of Nicolas Sarkozy in the context of France´s application for a list worth protecting world cultural heritages, was confirmed by the UNESCO two years later: In November 2010, it put the "repas gastronomique des Francais" as an intangible cultural property under their protection. In contrast to tangible cultural heritage, which relates to natural landscapes or monuments, the intangible cultural heritage refers to traditions that are "passed down from one generation to the next and that are of significant importance for the perception of identity and continuity of the living communities'', and that in addition maintain the cultural diversity and human creativity.
The UNESCO commission's decision is based on the protection of the "common social practice, to celebrate the most important moments in the lives of individuals or groups" with the shared meal. It's not about "French cuisine" per se, but about their culturally highly developed purpose: A form of food that could also be found in the private sector.
Therewith, the "respas gastronomique" does not necessarily include the popular haute cuisine. Nevertheless, the French starred chefs Paul Bocuse and Alaine Ducasse supported Sarkozy´s petition in 2008. They wanted to draw attention to a grievance, which had not gone well at France in the 21st century: The excessive consumption of fast food and convenience foods.
Other voices replied that there was no need to protect French cuisine, but it is one of the most popular and most influential cuisines in the world. The fact that only fresh and mostly local ingredients are used in the Cuisine Francais is praised in particular. Bouillabaisse, Breton Artichokes, Belon Oysters and Camembert thus each year lure over 80 million foreign visitors to the red and white checked restaurant tables. Who would then clutch at the 5 minutes terrine?
