Swiss want to inscribe Alpine foodstuffs on UNESCO list
Switzerland has submitted its "Alpine Food Heritage" application to UNESCO, according to the Federal Office of Culture. The aim is to include cheese-making in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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This project is being carried out in collaboration with France, Italy and Slovenia. This is the first time that Switzerland has coordinated an application for inclusion in the UNESCO Register of Best Practices for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which recognises exemplary programmes that can inspire other regions of the world.
The Alpine food heritage brings together a body of knowledge, practices and techniques relating to food in the mountain regions of the Alps, said the government in a press release on Monday.
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These include, for example, cheese-making at high altitudes, the cultivation of cereals – and turning them into bread – adapted to Alpine environments, the gathering of wild plants, the upkeep of traditional orchards and mountain bee-keeping. For the Federal Office of Culture, these practices “constitute a living heritage that is closely linked to the landscapes, farming systems and lifestyles of Alpine communities”.
Promoting heritage
The aim of this application is to “recognise the conservation programmes run by communities to identify, document, transmit and promote this heritage”. It also aims to strengthen the promotion of “sustainable forms of production and consumption”. These initiatives are based on the transnational network developed as part of the European AlpFoodway project (2015-2019).
The UNESCO decision will be taken in December 2027 at the earliest, the press release said.
Adapted from French by AI/ts
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