Food as cultural heritage.

The knowledge involved in food production - whether on the farm or in the kitchen - has been recognized as a Brazilian cultural heritage by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), a federal agency linked to the Ministry of Culture. The instrument employed for the distinction is the Registry of Intangible Cultural Heritage, created by Decree No 3551 of 4th August 2000, which aims to preserve living and dynamic cultural expressions-similar to the safeguarding of cities and sites of historic, natural, artistic, and archaeological value. Registering intangible assets involves inscribing them in one of the institution s ledgers, whether of Knowledge, Forms of Expression, Celebrations, or Places. By 2010, 22 such assets had already been entered. As one of the elements that forms the cultural identity of societies, food plays a role in these acknowledgement processes as part of the repertoire of traditional knowledge of social groups, as a constituent part of celebrations, markets, and festivals, and through its association with dancing, drumming, and other expressions of popular art.