Edible Vancouver Island March/April 2024

EDIBLE GUIDE

Culinary Wanderlust UNESCO’s list of food cultures helps preserve culinary traditions

WORDS LIISA SALO

I dentity and culture interweave through language, clothing, beliefs, traditions, ceremonies, and notably, food. From ingredients to techniques and presentation, our meals reflect rich traditions (excluding, of course, fast and processed foods). Advances in refrigeration and transportation offer a vast array of global cuisine choices, allowing us to easily experience flavours from various cultures. Yet amid this abundance, the authenticity and quality of these culinary experiences vary. Why does authenticity matter? Shouldn’t food evolve naturally with changing times and tastes, even if it alters traditional dishes? The threat is in losing not just taste but cultural touchstones, ultimately homogenizing our global culinary landscape. Fortunately, efforts persist to safeguard unique food traditions worldwide. UNESCO PRESERVATION OF HERITAGE The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage program safeguards diverse cultural practices, such as culinary traditions, aiming to preserve their significance in cultural identity. It promotes global culinary diversity and facilitates the transmission of culinary skills across generations, empowering communities to preserve their cultural heritage and creating economic opportunities. Without these efforts, many traditional cuisines could be at risk of disappearing due to threats ranging from climate change impacting the availability of local ingredients, to economic hardship, to changing tastes and preferences, just to

Paris, France Photo by Bumble Dee - stock.adobe.com

name a few. Moreover, traditional recipes serve as a significant link to home when they travel with immigrants, carrying the essence of their heritage wherever they go. These recipes are an ode to shared histories, beliefs and values, and help to connect different cultures through the common language of food. There are currently 30 food and drink related traditions recognized by UNESCO and its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Each year, new submissions are considered for recognition. If you review the list, you’ll find there are significant gaps in representation from different areas of the world. This is not representative of a cuisine’s significance, only that it has not yet been submitted. (The full list can be found in an article on wander-lush.org.)

is not achievable for most of us, but luckily, we can do the next best thing by seeking similar flavours when we follow traditional recipes, pick up regionally inspired items at local bakeries or specialty grocers and eat in restaurants with a focus on cuisine from a particular culture. The limited list from UNESCO varies widely in scope, with sweeping categories like “The Mediterranean Diet,” “French Gastronomy” and “Mexican Cuisine in Mexico“ contrasting with very specific items such as “Turkish Coffee,” “Ceremonial Keskek in Turkey,” and “Dolma in Azerbajan.” There are even two listings for kimchi, making a distinction between “Kimjang in South Korea” and “Kimchi in North Korea.” Let’s take a look at some of the cuisines featured on UNESCO’s list and find some ways to experience them without venturing too far from home.

Experiencing a sampling of these culinary traditions right at the source by traveling

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