The Mexican Embassy in the UK celebrates international protection of its authentic cuisine

For the first time it has been included on UNESCO's list of "intangible cultural heritage" worth safeguarding from global influences, and is now officially a unique cultural tradition that should be preserved and shared with the rest of the world. UNESCO, the UN culture and education agency, had met in Kenya to consider more than 50 new candidates for its "intangible heritage" list, which preserves globally important art forms and traditions thought to be under threat. As one of the UK's fastest growing cuisine styles, Mexican gastronomy received the accolade as "heritage that has been passed down through generations from ancient times". UN experts also chose it because it represented a fundamental aspect of cultural identity and social cohesion. The success of Mexican cuisine is the result of a lengthy campaign going back to 2004, when it was first put forward as a candidate for such recognition. The application was backed by the Mexican Government through the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History), the CONALMEX (the Mexican Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO) and the Gruma Corporation, parent company of the well-known Mission brand. Flavours of Mexico – a non governmental organisation – was set up last year with the backing of the Gruma Corporation to promote Mexican cuisine in Britain. Director Sol Medina Kalvoy said: "Mexican cuisine is the fastest growing cuisine in the UK and third only to Indian and Chinese food, clearly demonstrating that the UK has a real appetite for ethnic cuisine. "We believe there is a great opportunity for Mexican food in the UK. It is growing by 10%-20% a year and commands a market share of about 15% of the ethnic food market in the UK. However, although the UK market is familiar with the Tex Mex category, it has not yet discovered the wide range and richness of Mexican food. Flavours of Mexico is working to enhance the awareness of the larger Mexican food category."