UNESCO

Had you ever thought about food as heritage? Both UNESCO and the European Union take this seriously. The Tokaji wine region in Hungary has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2002 because of   the thousand year‘s  tradition in wine production in this region, the premium quality of wine and the historic landscape with hills and river valleys.

·         Can you think of a Polish region that might receive some special protection because of its agricultural traditions, methods of production, particular ingredients, recipes of dishes, table customs and so on? Which would you choose and why? How should it sell itself to tourists without destroying its distinctive authenticity? Use Tokaji region as a model.

·         Do you think such a heritage is as important as monuments, museums and literature?

The European Union

The EU protects traditional ways of producing food and forbids other people to exploit their names to sell other products e.g. Champagne. It’s not simple however to get this status as people in Poland know with reference to oscypek cheese (made from ewe’s milk in the Tatra mountains) with which there is an ongoing dispute at present. Follow the link to oscypek to learn more on the subject.

Food, Identity, Heritage

·         Food, Identity, Heritage is our title - do you think they are inseparable? Would you feel the same person if the countryside around you was not like it is today? If you couldn’t eat such traditional dishes? How central to our heritage and identity is what we eat and drink?