World Food Travel Association launches World Culinary Heritage Day | News
As globalization, industry standardization and changing consumer habits put increasing pressure on traditional food habits, the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) today launched World Culinary Heritage Day – an annual global celebration, held on April 18 each year, dedicated to celebrating and protecting the food traditions that define communities, identities and destinations worldwide. The celebration stems from World Food Travel Day, which the WFTA has been organizing for eight years. The rebrand reflects a broader mission and greater global appeal – shifting the focus from culinary travel to culinary heritage itself – while making the day more directly understood by communities, media and policymakers around the world.
From family recipes and artisanal production methods to regional ingredients and time-honored cooking techniques, culinary heritage is one of the most accessible and meaningful expressions of culture, but it is disappearing. Based on a comparative review of 29 countries, the WFTA estimates that approximately 13% of traditional culinary practices have disappeared or are at high risk – losses that are increasing. The people who maintain these traditions – farmers, fishermen, producers, chefs and local communities – too often remain invisible.
“Culinary heritage isn’t just about what’s on the plate – it’s about the grandmother whose recipe has been passed down for generations, the farmer who grows a nearly forgotten grain, the fishing community whose techniques predate recorded history,” said Erik Wolf, executive director of the World Food Travel Association. “These traditions are disappearing faster than we can document them. World Culinary Heritage Day is a global call to recognize their value before it is too late.”
Anyone, anywhere can get involved – from home cooks and chefs to tourism boards, educators and cultural organizations:
How to participate
Share a photo or short video of a traditional dish, ingredient, food tradition or culinary experience
Tell the story behind it – the cultural roots, personal significance or community significance
Recognize the people, makers or communities who keep the tradition alive
Use the official hashtag #CulinaryHeritageDay
One story. One dish. One tradition. Pass it on.
Through storytelling, education and community action, World Culinary Heritage Day aims to establish culinary heritage as an essential pillar of cultural identity, sustainable tourism and local economic resilience – and inspire the next generation to protect the traditions that make every place irreplaceable.
World Culinary Heritage Day is the flagship initiative of the Taste of Place movement. Join the movement at JoinTasteofPlace.org.
