The news of recent days and weeks that a “collective of Niçoise cuisine” intends to undertake initiatives under its stewardship has revived the memory of other defenders and promoters of this cultural heritage.
In a statement, the association for the inclusion of Niçoise cuisine in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list reminds us that it was created in December 2017.*
The purpose of this association is to prepare and promote a dossier for the inclusion of Niçoise cuisine in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The richness, long history, and vitality of the “couhina nissarda” naturally inscribe it within this heritage, the promoters assert.
Their declared goal is: “Beyond this inclusion, we will promote and make this cuisine known, the only one in France that offers a truly complete meal, from starters to desserts.”
The first actions have already been taken or are underway:
- A Facebook page is dedicated to this topic and already has more than 2,000 “likes.” It will feature a “signature” Niçoise recipe each month. https://www.facebook.com/cuisine.nicoise.patrimoine.humanite/
A book featuring 200 “signature” recipes (including recipes recommended for restaurateurs to obtain the “Niçoise cuisine” label from the Nice Tourism Office) will be released in May.
Two Agro sup students have chosen this topic for their Master 2 thesis in relation to our Association.
But the action is already well advanced: a meeting is scheduled for May 17 with the Ministry of Culture, responsible for relations with UNESCO.
The associates want their approach to be genuinely cultural: “Niçoise cuisine is part of our identity and soul, just like the history, geography, or Niçoise language. Our association aims to be a tool for making it known, loved, and passed on, to become tolerant by discovering what we don’t know. Our association is a tool for everyone, to listen to the past and future, to train in our cuisine.
Bouòn, li a aquelu qu fan, e li a aquelu qu barjacon! (Some do, others just talk). So, let’s get to work!
Little Lexicon of Niçoise Cuisine
More heir to Roman cuisine than Gallic cuisine, it boasts a millennial tradition and has managed to adapt on a stable and ancient base.
A cuisine of a poor country, it is simple but not simplistic; traditional, yet evolving and inventive; respecting the local produce; invented to be shared.
Neither French nor Italian, it is “mescla” (confluence) as much as “mesclun” (mixture). A cuisine of a magnificent and troubled territory that combines the ruggedness of the mountains with the softness of the sea, it constantly inspires chefs and delights gourmets.
Finally, through its richness and adaptation to the seasons, beyond a few emblematic recipes sometimes butchered, it allows for the preparation of complete “Niçoise” meals throughout the year, from starters to dessert. Its long history and vitality naturally inscribe it in the world’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
A cuisine integrated into a strong Niçoise identity. It synthesizes a centuries-old art of living that retains all its virtues of recreation and the taste for sharing across borders.
