Does Creme Brulee Qualify as a Global Treasure? UNESCO Says No.

Travel Blog  •  Joanna Kakissis  •  07.09.08 | 3:50 PM ET

imageUNESCO just inscribed 27 new sites to its World Heritage List— the usual mix of archaeological, architectural, ecclesiastical and ecological places. French cuisine didn’t make the cut, despite a campaign led by President Nicolas Sarkozy to enshrine it. Did the coq au vin fail to inspire?

Not exactly. A top UNESCO leader said recently that gastronomy simply didn’t qualify as a world heritage site, all but dooming (at least for now) France’s effort, as well as another by the foursome of Italy, Greece, Spain and Morocco to commemorate the Mediterranean diet.

Among the places making the cut: Berlin Modernism Housing Estates in Germany, Armenian Monastic Ensembles  in Iran, the historic cities of the Straits of Malacca in Malaysia, and Socotra Archipelago in Yemen.

Photo by austinevan via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Tags: Food, Global Village, Europe, France, News and Briefs

Joanna Kakissis's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post, among other publications. A contributor to the World Hum blog, she's currently a Ted Scripps fellow in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado in Boulder.


3 Comments for Does Creme Brulee Qualify as a Global Treasure? UNESCO Says No.

Ling 07.09.08 | 11:34 PM ET

The French, I think, are a bit too puffed up with the importance of their food. Obnoxious and foul-smelling, same as their cheese. Although their new first lady seems not so bad…

Els 07.10.08 | 2:36 PM ET

Getting world heritage status is a long and bureaucractic process. ‘French cuisine’ wasn’t even officially nominated this year (nor will it next year), and thus not discussed by the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in Quebec. So “didn’t make the cut” is not an accurate description of its status - it’s nowhere near inscription.

Marilyn Terrell 07.10.08 | 2:43 PM ET

Ah well, nice try, France.  Reminds me of this post Andrew Evans wrote for the formerly great Gridskipper, about the best creme brulee in DC:
http://gridskipper.com/65136/the-capitals-best-creme-brulee

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