Cassava has risen to the pinnacle of gastronomy. During the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in Asunción, Paraguay, cassava was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List.

Haiti’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO celebrated the recognition. “An inheritance from the Arawaks/Taínos, the first inhabitants of Haiti, passed down to our African ancestors, cassava, now enjoyed across the country, has become a true culinary tradition. Whether sweet in the North, spiced in the bobori of Grand-Anse, or small in Saint-Marc, cassava has nourished the Haitian people since the nation’s founding and continues to preserve ancestral agricultural and industrial expertise,” the Delegation stated.