French president says he wants UNESCO to honor French cooking

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Nicolas Sarkozy trumpeted French cuisine as the world's best, saying Saturday he wants UNESCO to honor it. Sarkozy said France would be the first country to apply in 2009 for recognition of its cuisine to be included in a listing of world heritage at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. "We have the best gastronomy in the world - at least in our point of view," Sarkozy said in an inaugural day kickoff of an annual agricultural fair in Paris. "We want it to be recognized among world heritage." Sarkozy also said his country would defend its farming interests internationally, including at the World Trade Organization. France is the EU's top agricultural producer.