Christopher Broadbent, Redcurrants © 2022
Food, cooking methods, recipes, ingredients and culinary practices have a crucial cultural, social and historical significance. Promoting food heritage means preserving stories and memories from generation to generation.
Bread-making, Shutterstock © Digital Library ref. ID: 2141041107
The Department organizes a wide range of activities aimed at strengthening the food heritage sector with a blend of innovation and culinary excellence, while also seeking to raise awareness on the importance of food heritage as a part of the identity of every territory and culture. The Department promotes culinary twinning between countries in order to build international cultural bridges through products, recipes and cuisine, thereby fostering a significant flow of imports and exports of food heritage.
The Department promotes the recognition of, respect for and enhancement of farming, fishing, hunting, pastoral, food-gathering, food preparation and food preservation knowledge and practices —including their related rituals and beliefs— that contribute to food security and adequate nutrition, and that are recognized by communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals as part of their intangible cultural heritage.
The Department organizes events on food heritage to valorize food and wine products, as well as local recipes. It will also create dedicated columns in newspapers, magazines, explanatory brochures and television programmes. The Department offers Master-Chef courses, held by Michelin Star Chefs, aimed at representing cuisine and gastronomy as a set of traditions, skills and knowledge. Every course will be realized with heritage in mind, and will focus on products of specific areas.
