Joan Reguant, Cultural Projects Coordinator of the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, participated in the 1st European Congress on Tourism and Gastronomy that took place in Madrid on 24th and 25th of May.

This first edition of the Congress, which counted with many reputed speakers, underlined the important role of gastronomy in the tourism trade, not only as a complement to the most traditional tourism, but to its recognition as a representative and important element for the agro-food industry, as well as on rural and sustainable development, promoting Spanish products and gastronomy.

Joan Reguant talked about the Mediterranean Diet beyond its well-known reputation as a nutrition guideline, about the lifestyle it represents and its values and habits shared by all the people of the Mediterranean basin, a transnational heritage that helps biodiversity and local production, as well as its gastronomy.

On 12th, 13th and 14th of March the First Meeting of the four communities (Chefchaouen, Cilento in Italy, Koroni in Greece and Soria in Spain) identified on the transnational nomination of the Mediterranean Diet, took place in Chefchaouen (Morocco).

During this first meeting, the local and national institutional authorities signed the Declaration of Chefchaouen, which pays special attention to the significance of the intangible cultural heritage in general and particularly to the Mediterranean Diet. Furthermore, the communities agreed with this Declaration to safeguard and promote this common heritage, shared by all the people in the Mediterranean, and alerts of the erosion process that the Mediterranean Diet suffers from because of new and unhealthy lifestyles.

After presenting their most important elements and proposing some actions to share in the future, the four communities have agreed to repeat this meeting organised by the Ministry of Culture of Morocco and the Municipality of Chefchoauen, in the other three communities in the upcoming months.

On 29th August 2009, Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, jointly presented to the UNESCO, in Paris, the Nomination of the Mediterranean Diet for its inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Since then, taking advantage of the official deadline to submit additional information, the nomination has been completed, satisfying all the demanded technical requests.

The decision about the inscription, after the evaluation of the nomination by the Committee, will be made known on November 2010, during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Known that the work has been completed, and hoping that the Mediterranean Diet will get its recognition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, Transnational Technical Coordinator of the Nomination, would like to thank all the people and entities that have supported this project.

On March 24th and 25th 2010, will take place the eighth Barcelona International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet.

This Conference will bring together a significant number of experts from different countries to discuss the nutritional, cultural and anthropological aspects of the Mediterranean Diet, a millennium-old heritage shared by the populations of the Mediterranean basin.

For the first time and trying to satisfy one of the repeated requests from exhibitors and visitors to Alimentaria, the show opts for a concentrated model in its next edition. The fair and the Congress will be held in the modern Gran Via Fira de Barcelona, occupying all of these facilities located in L’Hospitalet del Llobregat. A suitable framework to host one of the most important fairs in the world of the food and beverage industry.
For all the information about the congress, visit the website.

On January 18th, Joan Reguant, coordinator of cultural projects of the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, participated in the event that the AUGA and the UNECO Association of the town of Igualada held in the Ateneo of Igualada. His lecture, “The Mediterranean Diet, from the landscape to the table. The art of living”, attracted a large audience.

The event focused on the Mediterranean Diet as a cultural fact, a cultural heritage shared by all Mediterranean peoples. We are dealing with a dynamic and evolving heritage, built by those people who have lived around the Mediterranean, and their techniques, their own beliefs and acquired knowledge, a tour from the landscape to the table that also values the collection, preparation, conservation and consumption of food. We are talking about the Mediterranean Diet as the symbolism and devotion that the people of the Mediterranean area give to food and especially to sharing the table with others.

The conference served to highlight the importance of including the Mediterranean Diet on the representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, permitting and thus helping to safeguard and disseminate this heritage.

El día 28 de noviembre, la Fundación Dieta Mediterránea participó en la jornada sobre la cocina del pescado organizada en el pueblo de la Costa Brava, Palamós, por la Cátedra de Estudios Marítimos de la Universidad de Gerona, con el Ayuntamiento de Palamós. La nutricionista Blanca Raidó representó la FDM con la intervención titulada “El valor nutricional del pescado de costa en la Dieta Mediterránea”.

El pescado tiene un valor destacado por la actividad económica que genera y por las manifestaciones culturales y sociales que conlleva. Por este motivo se ha organizado la jornada de trabajo, donde los profesionales y expertos presentaron e intercambiaron conocimientos sobre la importancia cultural, gastronómica, económica y nutricional que tiene la cocina del pescado en nuestro país.

Para más información:
Cátedra de Estudios Marítimos:
http://cem.udg.edu
Museo de la Pesca de Palamós:
www.museudelapesca.org

Related Post

• No Related Post

La Casa Llotja de Mar de Barcelona acogió la presentación de la gran feria de alimentación y bebidas española ante 55 periodistas especializados procedentes de más de 30 países de todo el mundo. Un evento de altísimo nivel que contó con la participación del conseller Joaquim Llena; el secretario de Estado Josep Puxeu; el vicepresidente ejecutivo del ICEX, Ángel Martín Acebes y su director general de Promoción, Jaime Montalvo; el presidente de FIAB, Jesús Serafín Pérez y su presidente de la Comisión de Internacionalización, José Carlos Lacasa; el presidente del Comité Organizador de Alimentaria, Josep-Lluís Bonet; el máximo ejecutivo de Alimentaria, J. Antonio Valls; el director de Alimentaria Exhibitions, Francisco Carrió; el profesor de Economía del IESE Antonio Argandoña; el presidente de Innoval, Josep Arcas; el presidente de la Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Dieta Mediterránea, Francisco Sensat, y el chef Fermí Puig, miembro del Comité Técnico de BCNVanguardia. La consultora Synovate presentó las principales líneas de actuación del estudio “Qué espera el consumidor de las marcas. El rol del fabricante como gestor de marca”.

Para ver la noticia completa, sigua el enlace:

http://www.alimentaria-bcn.com/IBE/IBE_AlimentariaBarcelona/Documents/NP_26-11-09_ES.pdf

Related Post

• No Related Post

Jornadas sobre Protección del Patrimonio Inmaterial

La Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Bienes Culturales a través de la Subdirección General del Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural de España organizó, junto con la Subdirección General de Museos Estatales y la Subdirección General de Protección del Patrimonio, unas Jornadas sobre la protección del Patrimonio Inmaterial, que tuvieron lugar del 14 al 16 de Octubre en Teruel.

En este encuentro participaron representantes de las Direcciones Generales de Patrimonio Cultural de las Comunidades Autónomas y expertos en Patrimonio Inmaterial. Joan Reguant, el coordinador de proyectos culturales de la FDM participó durante la segunda jornada, con la intervención titulada: La Dieta Mediterránea, patrimonio transversal, cotidiano y transnacional. También asistió a las jornadas D. Francisco Sensat, vicepresidente de la FDM.

El objetivo fue analizar la política de gestión que en España se realiza sobre este patrimonio, así como la elaboración de un texto en el que se vean reflejadas algunas recomendaciones sobre los criterios que deben regir estas actuaciones.

El Patrimonio Inmaterial constituye una las manifestaciones más significativas de la Cultura Española. Pese a ello, la ausencia de consideración de los valores que le son inherentes, ha supuesto hasta hace no demasiados años, una política de inactividad en relación a su tratamiento. Afortunadamente hoy esta situación muestra evidentes síntomas de cambio. En el ámbito internacional la UNESCO aprobó la Convención para la Salvaguarda del Patrimonio Inmaterial en 2003. Amparadas por este empuje internacional y en cumplimiento de lo establecido en la Convención, ratificada por el Gobierno de España, las Administraciones Públicas españolas han comenzado a desarrollar estrategias de preservación y puesta en valor del Patrimonio Inmaterial.

Related Post

• 10 Noviembre 2009 — La V Multaqa dedicada a la Dieta Mediterrània. (0)

The past 17^th and 18^th September an International seminar on management and safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the Mediterranean, was held in Barcelona at the headquarters of the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed). The activity was jointly organised by the FDM (Mediterranean Diet Foundation) and the IEMed.

The seminar held on the occasion of the presentation of the Mediterranean Diet Nomination to UNESCO, was inaugurated by Federico Mayor Zaragoza, president of the Foundation Culture of Peace and former Director General of UNESCO. 

Many representatives of state and regional institutions and civil society, including Elisa de Cabo, Deputy Director General for Historical Heritage Protection (Ministry of Culture), Ángeles Blanco (Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs), Antoni Diaz, Director General of Agricultural Planning and Relations, (Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action of Generalitat of Catalonia), Carmen Cabezas, Assistant Director of Health Promotion, (Health Department of the Generalitat of Catalonia) and Miquel Àngel Essomba UNESCOCAT director.

Experts and researchers from 8 different countries discussed issues related to intangible cultural heritage and ways to protect and promote it, especially in the field of food.

During the last session of the seminar, participants discussed and adopted the Barcelona Declaration on Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean, to be published on our website in the coming days. It represents an important example of the civil society willingness to protect Intangible cultural heritage and in particular the Food Heritage, in the spirit of Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The meeting has been characterized by high involvement and interest of its participants, who have contributed important ideas and proposals for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean, both diverse and shared, agreeing on the importance of the involvement of institutions, the active participation of civil society and the need for networking and sharing of work experiences and knowledge among key players on both sides of the basin.

The Mediterranean Diet Foundation (FDM) and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) are jointly organizing the International Seminar on Managing and Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Area, to be held in Barcelona on September 17th and 18th. Leading experts and scholars from 8 different countries will be taking part in the seminar, opening a reflection on the meaning of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean area, analyzing its specific and current status and changes resulting from the coming into force of the 2003 Convention, paying particular attention to food cultural heritage.

Proposals will be developed during the seminar for base requirements and best practices that will be included in the proposal of the Barcelona Declaration on managing and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage will be read and approved during the last session.

Various institutions collaborate in the organization of the seminar, including: the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Generalitat of Catalonia (Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action, Department of Culture and Media and Department of Health), Barcelona City Council, Mercabarna, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and UNESCOCAT.

Admission is free.

MORE INFORMATION

In this way, the Catalan Parliament recognized that the Mediterranean Diet is a cultural form that must be preserved due to its entrenchment to the land, to the people’s work and to tradition, with a constantly changing gastronomy without giving up food of Mediterranean origin. But it is also a dietary pattern that has become an obvious health source.

The nomination was presented jointly by the Governments of Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco and is open to the participation of other Mediterranean countries who share this cultural heritage and has been coordinated on the technical level by the Mediterranean Diet Foundation with the collaboration and support of various public organisms both at the Autonomous Community level as well as the National level.

For more information (in Catalan):

http://www.parlament.cat/portal/page/portal/pcat/IE04/IE0406/IE040603?p_cp1=411393&p_cp2=tot&p_cp3=33&p_cp22=cerca

Academic experts and representatives of various institutions of Italy, Greece, Morocco and Spain participated on Friday June 26^th in Malaga at the Third International Conference in the Mediterranean, Organized by the Andalusian Department of Agriculture and Fisheries through the European Institute of Mediterranean Food (IEAMED), under the slogan “The Mediterranean: Food of civilizations”.

The Third International Conference in the Mediterranean took place at the IEAMED, involving a large group of speakers of the highest level, to deepen the concept of differentiation of the Mediterranean Diet and offered new cultural and scientific arguments for their protection. The aim of the conference, held every two years, is delving into the latest scientific developments around the Mediterranean Diet and the work developed by the countries of the Mediterranean on its defence.

The Vice-president of the FDM, Francisco Sensat participated in the opening as well as the panel “Current and future of the Mediterranean Diet: The case for its protection”, where he defended the impulse and promotion of the Mediterranean Diet and expressed confidence that the survival of all the values involved will be guaranteed by the UNESCO inscribing it on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For more information:

http://www.iamed.net/iamed/servlet/FrontController?action=RecordContent&table=9&element=4896

The Mediterranean Diet Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, realized yesterday June 17^th  2009, a Mediterranean Diet workshop with the young participants of the 1st Ibero-American Youth Forum of the World Heritage, at the Andalusian Centre of Contemporary Arts (CAAC) in Seville.

Young boys and girls, from 12 to 15 years old, coming from Spain, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Morocco (guest country), accompanied by their teachers, attended a presentation on the Mediterranean Diet and its nomination to UNESCO and carried out some activities around 3 main themes: the Mediterranean basin, Mediterranean Diet food items and food cultural heritage.

Activities have been created and carried out with the aim of helping to enhance the dissemination and visibility of the Mediterranean Diet as intangible cultural heritage, raising awareness about the importance and richness of food cultural heritage, stimulating the curiosity towards different cultures and promoting team spirit and collaboration.

Both youngsters and adults participated in the activities with great enthusiasm and interest and were invited to a Mediterranean Diet buffet where they had the opportunity to taste some of the most typical dishes of our food heritage.

 For further information on the activities of the 1st Ibero-American Youth Forum of the World Heritage http://www.patrimoniojoven.com/

The Valencian Community’s Secretary of Culture, Rafael Miró, and the UNESCO Valencia President, Luis Aznar presented on June 2^nd the V-Mediterranean Forum Valldigna- Mediterranean and the V Three Cultures Multaqa, that this year will be dedicated to the Mediterranean Diet as heritage of UNESCO.
Rafael Miró said that “these two twin activities have the basic object  to bring better arguments and mutual understanding among the three great monotheistic religious and cultural entities: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These three bases and forms of spiritual life have originated precisely in this sea and their exponents have many things to say to contribute to the overall dynamics of the Valencian society.”
In this regard, the Secretary noted that “the next 19th, 20th and 21th of June, during the Forum and the Multaqa will be discussed, publicized, promoted all the aspects that have made the ‘Mediterranean Diet’, a global paradigm of health and an active cultural umbrella capable of going beyond the 22 countries facing the Mediterranean and to acquire a truly global dimension.”
The Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Multaqa has been traditionally held on the weekend closest to the summer solstice on June 21th. This year UN (and UNHCR) declared June 20^th as “World Refugee Day.

Multaqa will be held over three days: Friday or Islam Yumuaa, on Saturday or Hebrew Shabbat and Sunday or Christian Dominica.
The vice president of the Mediterranean Diet Foundation,  Francisco Sensat  and the Cultural Projects Coordinator Joan Reguant will participate on June 20^th.

For more information on the programme and participants

http://www.unescovalencia.org

The National Fruit and Vegetable Campaign in Schools will promote the consumption of these products among children.

The Minister for Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa, stressed that the National Fruit and Vegetable Campaign in Schools presented at the MARM headquarters, will promote the consumption of these products in the younger population and, will help prevent diseases such as obesity.

Elena Espinosa explained that this far-reaching initiative was launched following a political agreement within the European Union’s Agricultural and Fisheries Council, thanks to the reform of the fruit and vegetable sector in 2007 to promote competitiveness and market orientation.

The Minister also highlighted the importance of fruit and vegetables, noting that they contribute 59% of the agricultural production, representing more than 15,000 million euros in 2008. It is a very dynamic sector that exports more than 50% of its production.

Furthermore, in relation to consumption, Elena Espinosa said that during 2008 in Spain the consumption per person and year was 156.4 kg (just behind Greece, Germany, Italy, Austria and France) spread to 94.3 kg of fresh fruit and 57.1 kg of fresh vegetables.

The Minister emphasized that according to the Food Panel developed by the Ministry, the consumption of fruit and vegetables is lower in households with children than in household without children, so one of the most important objectives of the National Fruit and Vegetables Campaign in Schools is to stop the declining trend in consumption of these products, which is especially pronounced among the population.

In addition, Elena Espinosa added that the MARM has been developing direct actions to increase fruit consumption for a while, as well as through agreements and support with foundations such as the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, or the “Five a Day” Association.

The Minister of Health and Social Policies, Trinidad Jimenez, and the Secretary of State for Education, Eva Almunia Badía, took opportunity of the evento and expressed their support to the Mediterranean Diet Nomination to be declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO.  

The Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, organized a workshop for the press in Madrid on May 27^th.

 The Nomination of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, jointly made by Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco, was addressed.

The Mediterranean Diet Foundation’s Coordinator of Cultural Projects and Transnational Coordinator of the Nomination, Joan Reguant, addressed during the first presentation, the importance of the Mediterranean Diet Nomination as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO presented jointly by Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco.

During the workshop, the geographical and climatological elements as well as the historic events that took place along the Mediterranean have produced certain food products and ways of cooking.

 The Mediterranean Diet has an abundance of typical food products, such as cereals, bread, pasta, vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts. In addition, one of its key features is the use of olive as the main source of added fat.

It is also characterized by a moderate consumption of fish, seafood, poultry, dairy and eggs, and the consumption of small amounts of red meat and the daily consumption of wine during meals.

The Mediterranean has been presented, not only as a way of cooking or the use of certain food products, but also as a philosophy of life based on dietary habits including traditional ingredients, with recipes and cooking methods of the area.

Its importance in an individual’s health is not limited to the fact that it is a balanced diet, with a varied and adequate supply of nutrients, but also the benefits of its low content in saturated fatty acids and high in monounsaturated and in complex carbohydrates and fibre, with a large amount of antioxidants.

The Director General of Food Industries and Markets, Francisco Mombiela, presented the historical and culinary characteristics of the Mediterranean Diet, which is a lifestyle common to all peoples living on the Mediterranean basin.

On the other hand, the archaeologist and PhD from the University of Cordoba, Desiderio Vaquerizo discussed the traditional Mediterranean Diet as a cultural heritage that stems from the geographical, historical, anthropological and cultural influx of three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe.

Thw two-start Michelin chef Seri Arola, approached that from the geographical situation of the Mediterranean, one of the most balanced, complete and healthy dietary pattern was born, fundament for global cuisine.

Finally, the Doctor of Medicine, specialist in cardiology and an elite athlete, Juan Antonio Corbalan, explained how eating habits and physical activity in Mediterranean countries contribute to the reduction of coronary heart disease.

The Minister of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), Elena Espinosa has stressed today that the Mediterranean Diet is a substantial part of the cultural heritage that binds Spain and Italy, during the intervention that has taken place today in the Italian Senate for the occasion of the session celebrated at this parliamentary venue to defend the Mediterranean Diet Nomination as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity that the two countries submitted to the UNESCO along with Greece and Morocco.

The four countries submitted the formal application to the UNESCO on September 29th, 2008. The UNESCO’s Committee for the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention will announce its decision on September 29th of this year.

The Mediterranean Diet, as Elena Espinosa explained, is more than an inventory of food products, it also encompasses the way of cooking, sharing, defining the landscape, creates culture, art, history and traditions and, most importantly a way of understanding life.

It is a millennial heritage that unites the people of the Mediterranean, but also differences them and is enriched through the singularities of each town and each territory, she added.

The Minister emphasized that cereal, olives and grapevines are the “Mediterranean trilogy” to which both countries spend much of their farmland on, the specific weight of this production on the economy, and their health benefits and its significance from the standpoint of management and sustainable progress on the territories.

However, despite its recognized benefits, Elena Espinosa pointed out that social alienation occurring with the Mediterranean dietary pattern is a consequence of sociological and demographic changes that both countries are experiencing, and the consequent increase in diseases related to unhealthy food habits.

This decrease in following the Mediterranean Diet may also imply other problems such as declining production of local products, the abandonment of rural areas, degradation of landscapes, among others.

Thus, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco submitted the Mediterranean Diet Nomination as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO with the objective of safeguarding this legacy.

Implementing this initiative, which was born in 2007, is useful, necessary and would have a significant positive impact to both producers and citizens of the Mediterranean and the rest of the world.

The minister argued that disseminating the Mediterranean Diet, under the auspices of the UNESCO would be a major boost to its international prestige, would have a beneficial impact on each of the food products it includes, would generate wealth and a sustainable socio-economic development in rural areas and would give the world quality food.

Italy and Spain account for more than 35% of Protected Designation of Origins (PDO), protected geographical indications and guaranteed traditional specialties in European Union registers.

The XIV edition of the International Fair of Olive Oil and Allied Industries, EXPOLIVA 2009 joined on May 14th 2009 the Nomination of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity to UNESCO.

The Deputy Director of Planning and Food Control of the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Isabel Bombal, the Director General of Industry and Food Quality of Andalusia Government, Ricardo Dominguez, and the President of Jaén Government, Felipe López, handed out the diploma which certifies the Fair’s support.

During the press conference, Isabel Bombal explained that the one year period – the time between Nomination presentation and the final UNESCO decision – the promoters of this initiative can demonstrate that it is defending and preserving a cultural heritage of all.

 Ricardo

Concerning the Mediterranean Diet and its Nomination as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Bombal assured that there is a need for actions to promote awareness and knowledge of this intangible cultural heritage and a greater recognition, with the aim of safeguarding the millennium-old cultural heritage that represents the Mediterranean Diet.

Dominguez, declared that this Nomination does not come from institutions, but from the civil society and the peoples of the Mediterranean.