Asturian cider is now Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity | Culture

Asturian cider has been declared Intangible World Heritage by UNESCO, in a decision taken this Wednesday in the intergovernmental committee of the United Nations organization held this week in Asunción (Paraguay). At the meeting, 58 candidates were evaluated and the cider candidate was the only one that on this occasion was defended alone from Spain, after nine years of preparatory work.

The candidacy, defended by the Ministry of Culture, was linked to the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) Sidra de Asturias, a protection figure that guarantees that the cider is made with native apples and is manufactured with traditional methods that date back several centuries. . The Spanish proposal even pointed out the way in which glasses of cider are shared, a sign, according to the candidacy, of the dimension “of socialization that characterizes the cider culture.” Also the cisterns in which it is made and the traditional spichasthe festivals in which it is consumed. “Around cider, we have built our own cultural landscape, a way of living and feeling Asturias that gives us character and distinguishes us,” one could read in the Spanish candidacy. Cider is already mentioned in Asturias in medieval writings from the 8th century, which suggests that both the cultivation of the apple tree and the technique of making the drink were known before, and that some experts date it back to about 2,000 years.

Political parties and local organizations have rushed to share the news on social networks. “A recognition for a tradition and culture that has passed from generation to generation in Asturias,” celebrated the Government of the Principality. “The cider culture is a hallmark of identity, a tradition rooted in our land that goes beyond the ritual of getting together to enjoy cider. It values ​​our field and all the agents who work daily to give life to our drink,” highlighted the Asturian PP in X. But it has not only been celebrated by political organizations: “Cider is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ! We knew it and now everyone knows it,” Sporting de Gijón highlighted on that same social network.

The Principality has dedicated itself to this initiative, both at a social and administrative level: during the last few days, the green lighting on the facades of numerous emblematic buildings of the Principality has accompanied the candidacy. Among them the headquarters of the Presidency of the Principality, the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias, the La Laboral tower or the Niemeyer Center.

Asturias records the highest consumption of cider per person in the world and its people maintain such a degree of identification with this drink that it keeps all the culture and traditions that have been associated with it for centuries alive. Under the Protected Designation of Origin Sidra de Asturias, the 31 wineries that are part of it sold close to 4.5 million liters last year, of which 82% were channeled through the hospitality sector and 9% through from the wineries themselves.