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. |