UNESCO's City of Gastronomy project is part of the wider Creative Cities Network. The Network was launched in 2004, and organizes member cities into seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. [1]
To be approved as a City of Gastronomy, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO: [2]
Cities submit bids to UNESCO to be designated, which reviewed every four years.
The first City of Gastronomy was Popayán, Colombia, designated in 2005. It hosts an annual National Gastronomic Congress of Popayán. [3]
Chengdu, China, is the capital of Sichuan and Sichuanese cuisine, one of the most popular types of cuisine in China. The city is the birthplace of numerous dishes, including mapo doufu and dan dan noodles, and has a distinct and vibrant tea house culture.
Bergen, Norway, is a port city with a long history in seafood trade. Local gastronomy thrives on organic food. Bergen hosts the world’s largest conference on seafood, the North Atlantic Seafood Forum Conference, and is also home to the Centre of Expertise for Sustainable Seafood and the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research. [4]
Rasht, Iran, represents Iranian cookery. The dominant foods are various types of fish. The region is famous for several distinctive dishes as well as the typical cooking method in Gamaj clay pots. [5] [6]
Tucson, Arizona, USA, has been selected because of "region's rich agricultural heritage, thriving food traditions, and culinary distinctiveness". [7] Tucson is well known for its Sonoran-style Mexican food. [8] [9]
Alba, Italy, is famous for its white truffles and vineyards. The city is referred to as the White Truffle Capital and holds an annual Truffle Festival. Alba also played the key role in the creation and development of the Slow Food movement. [10]
Bergamo, Italy, is famous for its history of cheese making, renowned for its award-winning and famous cheese products, as well as other forms of traditional food production. Bergamo has also advocated for greater sustainability in food production and support of its farmers and traditional methods of agriculture. [11]
Macau, an autonomous region on the south coast of China, represents a unique blend of Cantonese and Portuguese influence in culinary arts. An example is African chicken, a dish which includes Asian ingredients next to peri-peri peppers brought from Mozambique by Portuguese explorers. The city holds Macao Food Festival and other food-related events.
Belém, Brazil, a territory of which 65% is situated across 39 islands, provides diversity of local food products such as seafood, açaí, cocoa and pupunha. The city has a famous historic food market, Ver-o-Peso, where food-related events are held. [12]
Three additional Brazilian cities are also designated as Cities of Gastronomy: Florianópolis, Belo Horizonte, and Paraty. Florianopolis was designated due to its hosting of annual food festivals and its oyster industry; Belo Horizonte because of its coffee industry and the mixing of various cultures that flocked to the city influencing its cuisine, and Paraty because of the blending of Portuguese, Indigenous, and African cultures leading to the creation of some of Brazil's most famous cuisine such as paçoca and farofa-de-feijão and its history in making of cachaça.
Hyderabad, India, the capital of Telangana state, shows the flourishing of two of India's most famous cuisines-- Hyderabadi and Telugu cuisine—and the resulting fusion and blending of them in Hyderabad. As a result, Hyderabad is famous for dishes that show the influences of both cultures, such as Hyderabadi biryani, Hyderabadi haleem, murtabak, upma, dosa, and avakaya. Events and festivals such as Ramzan and Bathukamma promote and cultivate the city's unique and diverse gastronomic culture. [13]
Overstrand Hermanus, South Africa, is designated as a City of Gastronomy for its wine industry, gastronomic arts events, and its promotion of sustainable food production, such as creating abalone farms to ease pressure on ocean ecosystems.
Four Turkish cities are designated as Cities of Gastronomy by UNESCO: Afyonkarahisar, for its major industry in food production and animal husbandry, as well as production of Turkish delight and clotted cream; Hatay, for its rich cuisine as a center of the spice trade, as well as empowerment of women and refugees in the food industry; Gaziantep, for the importance of production of cereals, spices, dried fruits, and pistachios to the regional economy, and innovation in renewable and sustainable food production; and Kayseri.
There are 50 Cities of Gastronomy. Twelve countries have more than one designated city: China has five if Macao is included, Brazil and Turkey both have four, Italy has three Cities of Gastronomy, while Australia, Colombia, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and United States have all two entries on the list.
The Cities of Gastronomy are: [14]
| City | Country | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afyonkarahisar |  Turkey | 2019 | For its major industries in food production and animal husbandry and its production of Turkish delight and clotted cream. |
| Alba |  Italy | 2017 | For its white truffles and vineyards, annual white truffle festival, and its role in the development of the Slow Food movement. |
| Arequipa |  Peru | 2019 | |
| Battambang |  Cambodia | 2023 [15] | |
| Belém |  Brazil | 2015 | |
| Belo Horizonte | Brazil | 2019 | For its coffee industry and culture and the mixing of various cultures that flocked to the city influencing its cuisine. |
| Bendigo |  Australia | 2019 | |
| Bergamo | Italy | 2019 | For its history of cheese making, renowned for its award-winning and famous cheese products, as well as other forms of traditional food production, with advocacy for greater sustainability in food production and support of its farmers and traditional methods of agriculture. |
| Bergen |  Norway | 2015 | Known for its long history in seafood trade and organic, sustainable seafood gastronomy. |
| Bohicon |  Benin | 2021 | For its location at the economic crossroads of Benin, production of condiments and sauces, and steps taken to establish gastronomic events and organizations. |
| Buenaventura |  Colombia | 2017 | For its cuisine of the local Afro-Colombian population, its fruit and seafood production, and promotion of cuisine as a way of healing following the Colombian conflict. |
| Buraidah |  Saudi Arabia | 2021 | |
| Burgos |  Spain | 2015 | For its title as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy since 2013, due to its sustainable gastronomic industries that employ 26% of the city's population. |
| Chaozhou |  China | 2023 [15] | |
| Chengdu | China | 2010 | For its role in Sichuanese cuisine, one of the most popular types of cuisine in China; the birthplace of numerous dishes, including mapo doufu and dan dan noodles; and its distinct and vibrant tea house culture. |
| Cochabamba |  Bolivia | 2017 | The most important center of grain production in the Andes, which employs one third of the labor force and has adapted to sustainable methods. |
| Dénia | Spain | 2015 | |
| Ensenada |  Mexico | 2015 | For its thriving wine and fishing industries, with the Ensenada region producing 90% of Mexico's wine, and the site of Mexico's second most important port area. |
| Florianópolis | Brazil | 2014 | For its hosting of annual food festivals and its historic oyster industry. |
| Fribourg |  Switzerland | 2023 [15] | |
| Gangneung |  South Korea | 2023 [15] | |
| Gaziantep | Turkey | 2015 | For the importance of production of cereals, spices, dried fruits, and pistachios to the regional economy, and innovation in renewable and sustainable food production. |
| Hatay | Turkey | 2019 | For its rich cuisine as a center of the spice trade, as well as empowerment of women and refugees in the food industry. |
| Heraklion |  Greece | 2023 [15] | |
| Huai'an | China | 2021 | |
| Hyderabad |  India | 2019 | For its famed and unique Hyderabadi cuisine that combines the native Telugu and Indian Muslim cuisines of the region, that is promoted in the city's network of restaurants and bazaars and celebrated in local festivals such as Ramzan and Bathukamma. |
| Iloilo City |  Philippines | 2023 [15] | For its diverse array of traditional and modernized cuisine inspired the use of indigenous ingredients that make food unique. It is dubbed as the "Food Haven of the Philippines" and is celebrated for its gastronomic richness in the likes of the La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo, Kadyos Baboy Langka (KBL), Chicken Binakol, Kansi, Chicken Inasal, Kinilaw, seafoods, various rice and corn-based traditional desserts, and many more. |
| Jeonju | South Korea | 2012 | Long-standing traditions in production of rice, fish, salted fish, and wild greens and vegetables due to its geographic location, and its efforts to support development of traditional food culture through local education. |
| Kayseri | Turkey | 2022 | |
| Kermanshah |  Iran | 2021 | A melting pot of various types of cuisine and dishes from the various ethnic groups in Iran, and over 45 events related to local gastronomy and cuisine. |
| Kuching |  Malaysia | 2021 | A center of trade and culinary development between indigenous peoples of the region and other regions of Southeast Asia, promoted by its traditional food bazaars and promotion of cuisine from indigenous cultures. |
| Lankaran |  Azerbaijan | 2021 | The center of gastronomy in the South Caucasus, with important historical industries in cultivation of tea, vegetables, rice, and citrus, as well as in cattle farming, fishing, beekeeping, and grain farming, which are preserved and celebrated in local events. |
| Launceston | Australia | 2021 | |
| Macao | China | 2017 | For its unique blend of Cantonese and Portuguese influence in culinary arts, such as African chicken, a dish which includes Asian ingredients next to peri-peri peppers brought from Mozambique by Portuguese explorers, and for its holding of the Macao Food Festival and other food-related events. |
| Mérida | Mexico | 2019 | For its variety of culinary festivals and programs, and its development of indigenous Maya gastronomy to develop, preserve, and empower its indigenous cultures. |
| Östersund |  Sweden | 2010 | For its widely-known gastronomic culture based on sustainable practices linked to its natural surroundings. |
| Overstrand Hermanus |  South Africa | 2019 | For its wine industry, gastronomic arts events, and its promotion of sustainable food production, such as creating abalone farms to ease pressure on ocean ecosystems. |
| Nkongsamba |  Cameroon | 2023 [15] | |
| Portoviejo |  Ecuador | 2019 | For its rich agricultural and maritime industries and development of culinary advancement in the aftermath of earthquakes in 2016. |
| Panama City |  Panama | 2017 | For its rich culinary history and development of organizations promoting social responsibility through gastronomy. |
| Paraty | Brazil | 2017 | For the blending of Portuguese, Indigenous, and African cultures leading to the creation of some of Brazil's most famous cuisine such as paçoca and farofa-de-feijão and its history in making of cachaça. |
| Parma | Italy | 2015 | The gastronomic center of the "Italian Food Valley", with 30.5% of the city's population employed in sustainable gastronomic and agri-food industries. |
| Phetchaburi |  Thailand | 2021 | |
| Phuket | Thailand | 2015 | The center of Phuket cuisine |
| Popayán | Colombia | 2005 | |
| Rasht | Iran | 2015 | |
| Rouen |  France | 2021 | Development as a cultural hub of Normandy through promotion of its cuisine, especially in the baking and maritime sectors. |
| Saint Petersburg |  Russia | 2021 | |
| San Antonio |  United States | 2015 | For its role in the development of the widely-known fusion Tex-Mex cuisine, as well as Mexican cuisine in America. |
| Santa Maria da Feira |  Portugal | 2021 | |
| Shunde | China | 2014 | One of the cradles of Cantonese cuisine in the Pearl River Delta, with the innovation and development of multiple culinary practices amplified by its lively economy and cultural scene. |
| Thessaloniki | Greece | 2021 | For its production of fresh ingredients and feta, Greek yogurt, and olive oil, and its promotion of these products in events. |
| Tsuruoka |  Japan | 2014 | For the cultivation of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, edamame, and rice from the mountains, and seafood from the ocean playing an important role in the city's development and history. |
| Tucson | United States | 2015 | For its culture and development of Sonoran Mexican cuisine. |
| Usuki | Japan | 2021 | For its production of miso paste, soy sauce, sake, and shochu liquor, and its role in the global Slow Food movement. |
| Yangzhou | China | 2019 | Cradle of Huaiyang cuisine, hosting over 100 food-themed festivals, conferences, and exhibitions, and promotion of its gastronomic heritage. |
| Zahlé |  Lebanon | 2013 | For its viticulture and production of wine and arak and celebrations of its food history. |
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to enable dishes unique to a region.
French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices from France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style.
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and Maya who domesticated maize, created the standard process of nixtamalization, and established their foodways. Successive waves of other Mesoamerican groups brought with them their cooking methods. These included: the Teotihuacanos, Toltec, Huastec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Purépecha, Totonac, Mazatec, Mazahua, and Nahua. With the Mexica formation of the multi-ethnic Triple Alliance, culinary foodways became infused.
Spanish cuisine consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with important differences between the traditions of each part of Spain.
Sichuan cuisine or Sichuanese cuisine, alternatively romanized as Szechwan cuisine or Szechuan cuisine, is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan province and the neighboring Chongqing municipality. Chongqing was formerly a part of Sichuan until 1997, thus there is a great deal of cultural overlap between the two administrative divisions. There are many regional, local variations of Sichuanese cuisine within Sichuan and Chongqing.
Latin American cuisine is the typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse with varying cuisines. Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes arepas, empanadas, pupusas, tacos, tamales, tortillas and various salsas and other condiments. Sofrito, a culinary term that originally referred to a specific combination of sautéed or braised aromatics, exists in Latin American cuisine. It refers to a sauce of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs. Rice, corn, pasta, bread, plantain, potato, yucca, and beans are also staples in Latin American cuisine.
California cuisine is a food movement that originated in Northern California. The cuisine focuses on dishes that are driven by local and sustainable ingredients with an attention to seasonality and an emphasis on the bounty of the region.
Biryani is a mixed rice dish that was thought to have originated from Iran before settling in modern India. It is made with rice, some type of meat and spices. To cater to vegetarians, in some cases, it is prepared by substituting vegetables for the meat. Sometimes eggs and/or potatoes are added.
The cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. It comprises a fusion of recipes for things that might have been eaten by Spanish colonial settlers, cowboys, Native Americans, and Mexicans throughout the post-Columbian era; there is, however, a great diversity in this kind of cuisine throughout the Southwestern states.
Hyderabadi biryani is a style of biryani originating from Hyderabad, India made with basmati rice and meat. Originating in the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad, it combines elements of Hyderabadi and Mughlai cuisines. Hyderabad biryani is a key dish in Hyderabadi cuisine and it is so famous that the dish is considered synonymous with the city of Hyderabad.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Shandong cuisine, more commonly known in Chinese as Lu cuisine, is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese cuisine and one of the Four Great Traditions. It is derived from the native cooking style of Shandong Province, a northern coastal province of China.
Hyderabadi cuisine, also known as Deccani cuisine, is the native cooking style of the Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The haute cuisine of Hyderabad began to develop after the foundation of the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Qutb Shahi dynasty centered in the city of Hyderabad promoted the native cuisine along with their own. Hyderabadi cuisine had become a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad as it began to further develop under their patronage.
Seafood dishes or fish dishes are distinct food dishes which use seafood as primary ingredients, and are ready to be served or eaten with any needed preparation or cooking completed. Seafood dishes are usually developed within a cuisine or characteristic style of cooking practice and tradition, often associated with a specific culture. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade. Religious food laws, such as Islamic dietary laws and Jewish dietary laws, can also exercise a strong influence. Regional food preparation traditions, customs and ingredients often combine to create seafood dishes unique to a particular region.
Oaxacan cuisine is a regional cuisine of Mexico, centered on the city of Oaxaca, the capital of the eponymous state located in southern Mexico. Oaxaca is one of Mexico's major gastronomic, historical, and gastro-historical centers whose cuisine is known internationally. Like the rest of Mexican cuisine, Oaxacan food is based on staples such as corn, beans and chile peppers, but there is a great variety of other ingredients and food preparations due to the influence of the state's varied geography and indigenous cultures. Corn and many beans were first cultivated in Oaxaca. Well known features of the cuisine include ingredients such as chocolate, Oaxaca cheese, mezcal and grasshoppers (chapulines) with dishes such as tlayudas, Oaxacan style tamales and seven notable varieties of mole sauce. The cuisine has been praised and promoted by food experts such as Diana Kennedy and Rick Bayless and is part of the state's appeal for tourists.
The cuisine of Chiapas is a style of cooking centered on the Mexican state of the same name. Like the cuisine of rest of the country, it is based on corn with a mix of indigenous and European influences. It distinguishes itself by retaining most of its indigenous heritage, including the use of the chipilín herb in tamales and soups, used nowhere else in Mexico. However, while it does use some chili peppers, including the very hot simojovel, it does not use it as much as other Mexican regional cuisines, preferring slightly sweet seasoning to its main dishes. Large regions of the state are suitable for grazing and the cuisine reflects this with meat, especially beef and the production of cheese. The most important dish is the tamal, with many varieties created through the state as well as dishes such as chanfaina, similar to menudo and sopa de pan. Although it has been promoted by the state of Chiapas for tourism purposes as well as some chefs, it is not as well known as other Mexican cuisine, such as that of neighboring Oaxaca.
Muhajir cuisine refers to the food and culinary style of the Muhajir people in Pakistan, the descendants of Muslim migrants from India who migrated to Pakistan following the partition of India. Most Muhajirs have traditionally been based in Karachi, hence the city being known for Muhajir tastes in its cuisine. This cuisine has a rich tradition of many distinct and local ways of cooking. Muhajirs clung to their old established habits and tastes, including a numberless variety of dishes and beverages.
Monégasque cuisine is the cuisine of the principality of Monaco. It is a Mediterranean cuisine shaped by the cooking style of Provence and the influences of nearby northern Italian and southern French cooking, in addition to Monaco’s own culinary traditions. There is an emphasis on fresh ingredients, with the use of seafood, vegetables and olive oil playing a major role in the cuisine.
Gorontalese cuisine or Gorontalo cuisine is a genuine cuisine and taste of the Gorontalese People of Gorontalo Peninsula, Northern part of Sulawesi island, Indonesia. It is also known as Hulontalo cuisine by perantauan (migrating) Gorontalo people after "Hulontalo", the local language name for Gorontalo.