01376nas a2200133   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002100001300043245003100056300001000087490000700097520112400104022001401228       2011                            d1 aA. Alves00aFood as cultural heritage.  a73-860 v583 aThe 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.  a1981-4771