Join the Breads of the Creative Cities Project

Are you part of a UNESCO Creative City? Are you a baker, miller, or farmer passionate about your local bread traditions?

Take part in the world’s first UNESCO bread heritage project and share your story.

Breads of the Creative Cities Project

The Breads of the Creative Cities project is a global initiative that celebrates the cultural and communal significance of local bread-making practices. Launched in 2018 by the Creative Knowledge Foundation in partnership with Tucson and Krakow, the project aims to:

Connect Cultures: Bring together UNESCO Creative Cities to share their bread-making traditions.

Promote Sustainability: Highlight the importance of local and sustainable ingredients.

Foster Community: Encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange among bakers and communities.

By focusing on simplicity, universality, and flexibility, the project empowers communities to preserve and share their culinary heritage.

Breads of the Creative Cities is the first inter-cluster initiative within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), developed by the Creative Knowledge Foundation in partnership with Tucson UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Launched in 2018 at the UCCN Annual Meeting in Krakow, and supported by Krakow UNESCO Creative City of Literature, the project uses bread heritage to connect cultures, share traditions, and promote sustainable development.

The initiative celebrates the role of bread culture as a symbol of community and creativity. Through the Creative Knowledge Platform, cities tell their stories using recipes, images, and videos—highlighting the knowledge of bakers, millers, and farmers from around the world.

Built on values of simplicity, universality, and flexibility, BoCC fosters collaboration between UNESCO Creative Cities and promotes inclusion, cultural diversity, and local food traditions.

Project goals

STRENGTHEN THE UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES NETWORK

Strengthen collaboration among UNESCO Creative Cities by connecting bakers, millers, and farmers—our knowledge keepers—who preserve local bread-making traditions and food heritage.

CELEBRATE KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS AND THE BREAD VALUE CHAIN

Highlight the cultural importance of traditional bread heritage, from grain cultivation to artisanal baking. This includes farmers, millers, and bakers contributing to each city’s food identity.

BUILD A GLOBAL CULTURAL DIGITAL ARCHIVE

Through the Creative Knowledge Platform, we collect and share stories, recipes, and techniques from UNESCO Creative Cities, creating a cultural digital resource on global bread culture.

PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES ACROSS CLUSTERS

Inspire new inter-cluster initiatives by showcasing best practices and innovative formats that connect gastronomy, crafts, and literature through shared traditions like bread-making.

Bread of the Creative Cities 2025 Book

The book tells the story and culture of more than 100 Knowledge Keepers and UNESCO Creative Cities through the ingredients and recipes of their traditional breads.

The most universal of all dietary staple is synonymous at the same time with connection and diversity between the various cultures of the world. A collective theme such as bread also helps to reason about global issues, such as green agriculture, nutrition, sustainable development of local communities.

The stories of the products and bakers were collected through the Creative Knowledge Platform, highlighting the unique creative assets of the territories.

Breads of the Creative Cities Meetings

As part of the Breads of the Creative Cities project, the Creative Knowledge Foundation and Tucson Creative City of Gastronomy organize meetings in participating cities. These events encourage dialogue, foster intercultural exchange, and strengthen collaboration across the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

The meetings promote shared values through bread and culture, supporting knowledge keepers and local traditions tied to bread-making.