Morocco Launches UNESCO Food Heritage Project to Protect Culinary Traditions
Rabat – Morocco has launched a national consultation as part of a new UNESCO project that aims to create the world's first International Food Heritage Atlas.
The project also includes a digital platform to protect, promote, and pass on food heritage to future generations, said UNESCO in a press release.
Funded by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and carried out in partnership with Morocco's Ministry of Culture, the initiative supports the goals of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The project seeks to map, document, and share traditional food practices from around the world, and recognize them as a form of living heritage essential to cultural diversity, sustainable development, and social cohesion, added the statement.
Morocco has been chosen to take part in the pilot phase of the project. The first version of the Food Heritage Atlas is expected to be ready by the end of 2027. The first stage will focus on identifying traditional food practices in Morocco and building local capacity to protect them.
During the consultation, officials noted that five out of Morocco's 15 items listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists are related to food practices. These include the Cherry Festival in Sefrou and the traditional knowledge surrounding the argan tree. Morocco also shares several food-related listings with other countries.
However, many of these practices are under threat due to major challenges like climate change, globalization, and a breakdown in passing knowledge from one generation to the next. That is why experts stress the need for collective action, UNESCO says.
'Food practices and culinary traditions are more than just recipes. They reflect our identities, our lands, and our relationships with others and with nature,' said Eric Falt, UNESCO's Regional Director for the Maghreb.
'By valuing them, we build a future rooted in diversity, sustainability, and respect for local knowledge,' he added.
Mustapha Jlok, Morocco's Director of Cultural Heritage, added: 'By taking part in the UNESCO Food Atlas project, Morocco is showcasing the richness of its culinary traditions as a living expression of intangible heritage. With the help of local communities, the country is working to preserve skills passed down through generations, highlighting the deep connection between food, cultural identity, and sustainable development.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
08-05-2025
- Morocco World
Morocco Celebrates International Argan Day with ANDZOA Leading the Way
Rabat — Morocco will celebrate the 5th International Argan Day on May 10, reflecting the tree's vital role in fighting climate change. Since 2021, the UN has recognized this day to honor the argan tree — a cornerstone of Morocco's heritage that UNESCO has designated as both a Biosphere Reserve and intangible cultural heritage. The celebration is in line with King Mohammed VI's strategies aimed at expanding argan cultivation across 10,000 hectares in multiple regions across Morocco. Morocco's National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and Argan (ANDZOA) is at the center of these celebrations, and will be putting on various entertainment and education events to promote Morocco's sacred resources. 'Argan trees form a living barrier against desertification,' explains ANDZOA's general director, Latifa Yaakoubi. Established in 2010 under Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture, the organization has been at the forefront of efforts to protect this precious tree and to promote sustainable development across the country's argan-rich regions. The celebration is in line with King Mohammed VI's strategies aimed at expanding argan cultivation across 10,000 hectares in multiple regions across Morocco. The events will bring together researchers, policymakers, and regional stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions to climate challenges. On this year's agenda are scientific conferences in Agadir and Taroudant, which will focus on argan research and carbon sequestration. Children will have the chance to participate in educational activities about argan through art competitions and tree-planting initiatives. Food enthusiasts and connoisseurs eager to utilize Morocco's sacred tree in their cooking will be able to have a taste at the 'Souss Gastro Festival' from May 8-12, where 20 international chefs will reimagine traditional argan oil recipes. For sports lovers, Agadir will also host an argan-themed half marathon to promote conservation awareness. Read also: The 'Blessed Tree': Morocco's Miracle Argan Oil Throughout May, ANDZOA will conduct training sessions for women's cooperatives and community associations on sustainable argan cultivation, resource management, female entrepreneurship, and forest co-management. Known as the 'Blessed Tree,' argan trees thrive in southwestern Morocco's harsh conditions, and have been a crucial agricultural stronghold for generations, with some surviving over 200 years. The oil extracted from these trees contains valuable compounds including vitamin E, omega fatty acids, and antioxidants. Beyond offering health and beauty benefits, argan production provides crucial economic opportunities for rural women's cooperatives, preserving traditional knowledge while supporting sustainable development across Morocco's 830,000-hectare argan forest regions. Tags: Argan oilArgan treeclimate changeMorocco
Maroc
22-04-2025
- Maroc
Morocco Takes Center Stage in UNESCO's Project on Intangible Food-Related Heritage
Morocco launched on Monday a nationwide consultation for a UNESCO project that aims to publish, for the very first time, an International Atlas of Food Heritage, as well as a digital platform for safeguarding, promoting and transmitting food heritage to future generations. According to a press release from the United Nations, this innovative project, financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and carried out in collaboration with the Moroccan Department of Culture, is part of the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003. It strives to map, document and transmit the world's food traditions, acknowledging them as a key living heritage to cultural diversity, sustainable development and social cohesion. Morocco, with its exceptional culinary heritage, is one of the countries selected for the pilot phase of the project, which will pave the way for publication of the first version of the Atlas by end 2027. This first stage will involve identifying traditional food practices and building local capacity to safeguard them. Five of the fifteen Moroccan elements inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage lists are linked to food practices, namely the Sefrou Cherry Festival or the practices associated with the Argan tree. 'By actively participating in UNESCO's Food Atlas project, Morocco is highlighting the richness of its culinary traditions as a living expression of its intangible heritage. Alongside local communities, it is working to preserve know-how handed down from generation to generation, stating the profound link between food, cultural identity and sustainable development', Director of Cultural Heritage Mustapha Jlok said, quoted in the release. MAP: 21 avril 2025
Morocco World
22-04-2025
- Morocco World
Morocco Launches UNESCO Food Heritage Project to Protect Culinary Traditions
Rabat – Morocco has launched a national consultation as part of a new UNESCO project that aims to create the world's first International Food Heritage Atlas. The project also includes a digital platform to protect, promote, and pass on food heritage to future generations, said UNESCO in a press release. Funded by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and carried out in partnership with Morocco's Ministry of Culture, the initiative supports the goals of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project seeks to map, document, and share traditional food practices from around the world, and recognize them as a form of living heritage essential to cultural diversity, sustainable development, and social cohesion, added the statement. Morocco has been chosen to take part in the pilot phase of the project. The first version of the Food Heritage Atlas is expected to be ready by the end of 2027. The first stage will focus on identifying traditional food practices in Morocco and building local capacity to protect them. During the consultation, officials noted that five out of Morocco's 15 items listed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists are related to food practices. These include the Cherry Festival in Sefrou and the traditional knowledge surrounding the argan tree. Morocco also shares several food-related listings with other countries. However, many of these practices are under threat due to major challenges like climate change, globalization, and a breakdown in passing knowledge from one generation to the next. That is why experts stress the need for collective action, UNESCO says. 'Food practices and culinary traditions are more than just recipes. They reflect our identities, our lands, and our relationships with others and with nature,' said Eric Falt, UNESCO's Regional Director for the Maghreb. 'By valuing them, we build a future rooted in diversity, sustainability, and respect for local knowledge,' he added. Mustapha Jlok, Morocco's Director of Cultural Heritage, added: 'By taking part in the UNESCO Food Atlas project, Morocco is showcasing the richness of its culinary traditions as a living expression of intangible heritage. With the help of local communities, the country is working to preserve skills passed down through generations, highlighting the deep connection between food, cultural identity, and sustainable development.'
