More than 100 chefs from around the world will converge in Cuernavaca, Morelos, next month for the 10th World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy, a milestone event celebrating the 15th anniversary of UNESCO having designated traditional Mexican cuisine as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The three-day event will include food sampling, exhibitions and other activities open to the public. It will begin Nov. 7 in the “City of Eternal Spring” — a popular getaway destination for residents of Mexico City.
The lineup of roundtable discussions, lectures, intercultural workshops and culinary showcases will spotlight Michoacán as the guest of honor.
The central Mexican state’s gastronomy — based heavily on the main staples of the Mesoamerican diet: corn, beans and chiles — was instrumental in helping Mexico achieve UNESCO recognition 15 years ago and continues to play a leading role in safeguarding traditional culinary practices.
In 2010, Mexico and France were the first two nations whose cuisine was honored by UNESCO.
The upcoming extravaganza was announced this week in Mexico City by Morelos Governor Margarita González Saravia and national Tourism Minister Josefina Rodríguez Zamora.
Organized by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the Conservatory of Mexican Gastronomic Culture, the event is expected to draw 30,000 visitors, officials said.
Participants will include traditional cooks, specialists and producers from Mexico, the United States, France, Italy, Spain and several regions in Asia. One of the main goals, organizers stated, is to have a dialogue between the ancestral and the contemporary aspects of Mexican gastronomy.
The forum will also seek to promote the international reach of Mexican cuisine and recognize its role as a driver of social cohesion, community development and tourism.
This is the first time Cuernavaca will host the event, which is usually held in Mexico, but has also been staged in Milan, Italy last year and in Long Beach, California in 2018. Downtown venues will include the Palace of Cortés, Borba Garden and Emiliano Zapata Square.
The event falls within Morelos’ broader “Xochicalco, Land of Encounters” program of eight festivals from October through December. Those events are expected to receive over 60,000 visitors and generate an estimated 100 million pesos (US $5.4 million) during the final quarter of 2025, said Morelos Tourism Minister Daniel Altafi Valladades.
Cuernavaca already achieved a measure of gastronomic fame earlier this year for constructing the world’s longest taco acorazado. The regional specialty, which translates to “armored taco,” was 80 meters long — equivalent to 88 yards on a U.S. football field or six standard school buses placed end to end.
Specifics of the full program will be announced soon. For details, visit the World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy website.
With reports from El Sol de Cuernavaca
