A certain art of living
A certain art of living
| For foreigners, the French ‘art de vivre’ or art of living is highly appreciated, even revered and envied … Is it our culture, our heritage, our gastronomy, our climate…? It is a combination of all these things. The French culinary model, or as we prefer to call it - “French food culture”- occupies a special place in foreigners’ perceptions of France, so much so that they regard it as the country of ‘l’art de vivre’. This attribute has particularly deep cultural roots. A deeply-rooted food culture...When we talk about food culture, we are referring above all to French food products, to the regions to in which they are produced and to the very strong relationship that we French have with them. In France, cooking and food are well-entrenched sources of pleasure in our daily rituals. Preparing a meal, experimenting with flavours, pleasing the taste buds, sharing our family culinary traditions and the emotions that we associate with them are an intrinsic part of our identity. The meal: a special momentA major symbol of this art of living, the meal, with its sharing dimension, remains a special moment for passing on values, and a strong factor in creating social bonds. The three daily meals, the cornerstone for French eating habits, have gradually evolved to suit our modern lifestyles: today they tend to be shorter, simpler and more practical. Their aim however is still to combine flavour with the notion of nutritional balance and a strong sense of education though food in our society and our eating habits. |
At the same time, festive and gastronomic cuisine, less of an everyday pleasure and more often prepared at the week-end, is becoming an important part of our social lives, keeping alive the tradition of sharing meals with good friends. The notion of pleasure in eating is key for the French: cooking is synonymous with giving and a meal is synonymous with sharing! Careful attention to products selected...The French pay particularly careful attention to their choice of products, they are interested in their origins, favouring quality, both in organoleptic and sanitary terms, and they appreciate diversity. Richness and variety of flavours are perceived as essential elements in any quality cuisine and considered as integral to of a meal’s balance. At the dining table, we talk about what we are eating, what we have already eaten, what we would like to eat or not to eat… it is a moment for exchanging ideas, discovering products and their history. The fruit of man’s talent and skill and the richness of the land, food takes pride of place in French art of living. |
The gastronomic meal of the French: a customary social practice included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
The gastronomic meal of the French, a festive meal that combines the art of eating well, of enjoying good quality beverages responsibly and of sharing good times together, was included on world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO’s 5th Intergovernmental Committee on 16 November 2010.
Why this recognition?
The Committee noted that French gastronomic meal is “is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups”.
The French gastronomic meal, an intrinsic part of French culture, is above all defined as a social custom shared by everyone, which the French are deeply attached to and strongly identify with. It is also the time and place where the abundance, creativity and diversity of our gastronomy is put on display.
An honour commented upon by chefs and food journalists
For this occasion, the local agencies of Sopexa’s Group asked several leading personalities from the world of gastronomy to share their thoughts on this honour. These chefs and food journalists, selected for their contribution to promoting French food culture around the globe, explain how local populations view our gastronomy and our products in their countries.
These passionate perspectives confirm what characterises our gastronomy and, more broadly, French-style art de vivre, namely fun, diversity, sharing and the enjoyment of coming together around a dinner table. They also show the importance of sharing knowledge and providing education in France and abroad, and of the need to demonstrate how affordable and easy-to-use our food and beverage products are.
The gastronomic meal of the French: a customary social practice included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
UNESCO has included the French Gastronomic Meal on Intangible Cultural Heritage List. For this occasion, 7 personalities from the world of gastronomy share their perspectives on this customary social practice.
Click on personalities below to now their perspectives on French Gastronomic Meal.
