Mexican Cuisine Ten Years After Being Designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

To close the patriotic week, let's talk about the elephant in the room, painted green, white, and red: the national cuisine is unbeatable. While the taco captures international attention, it takes a local to understand the complexity, breadth, and delight of our gastronomy; the beloved regional stews, the patronal traditions, the flavors cooked in clay pots, under the heat of the pib, or in the glow of the embers. UNESCO stated exactly ten years ago that traditional Mexican cuisine is a heritage of the world, a culture worth preserving for generations to come. Just look at the sesame seed of all moles: mole. Its complexity resonates in the infinite ingredients that compose it—some of them as improbable as animal-shaped cookies—in its regional interpretations, in the subtleties that change according to festivities like Día de Muertos, and in its chromatic breadth that encompasses almost all the colors of the rainbow. Mole, a thick sauce that envelops both our memories and the humblest spoonful of rice, owes its honor, more to its traditions than to its recipes. Just like in mole, mestizaje and culture blend like oil paints in the traditional kitchens of Mexico, to the extent that ten years ago UNESCO designated the entirety of it as a heritage of humanity. In the declaration, it wasn't just about being an enigma: it was necessary to present a case study, gather countless requirements and information from a multidisciplinary group of cooks, historians, anthropologists, and even food engineers in order to persevere. The result was a commendation that had never been awarded to another country. Traditional Mexican cuisine is our Great Wall, our cultural Machu Picchu. According to the writer and historian of Mexican cuisine, José N. Iturriaga, it’s not that other cuisines haven’t been honored before or after. In recent years, other culinary wonders have been recognized, such as the etiquette in French cuisine, the Mediterranean diet, and Japanese culinary tradition, but not a country as a whole. Ten years after the declaration recognizing the practices, rituals, and preparations linked to our cuisine, it deserves to be celebrated again. To celebrate that in Mexico, there are not only 32 states but an infinite number of traditions preserved in the fire of comales, pots, and clay vessels. Of course, we celebrate the traditional cooks who, according to Iturriaga, “are the very object of the declaration,” the timeless book of culinary knowledge from each region. José N. Iturriaga, author of books like 'Saberes y delirios' or 'Confieso que he comido', states that part of the responsibility of having a cuisine protected by UNESCO is to rescue, safeguard, and promote the tradition “more than a dish or an ingredient; to preserve the cuisine of our towns, the cuisine of markets, of grandmothers.”To achieve this, the Conservatory of Mexican Gastronomic Culture was created, a consulting body of UNESCO that holds annual national meetings, global forums on Mexican gastronomy, academic seminars, and even gatherings of traditional cooks. “Dishes and traditions need to be revitalized. To preserve and safeguard them so they do not fall into disuse and remain alive. The main purpose of the organization is the conservation of traditions.” What we need to do today at home is to learn and teach about Mexican cuisine to future generations. Dust off the tortilla maker and add fuel to the fire. Literally put your hands in the dough and extend the threads of tradition to infinity. Today, I invite you to choose one of our traditional recipes and prepare it with family. Besides carving memories, you will make history, you will create culture, and you will be part of this initiatory ritual that made the first Mexicans sigh.