Merida considered for UNESCO Creative Cities Network

State also joins Dutch cheese festival to demonstrate Yucatan's take on Edam

UNESCO’s Creative Cities

Merida is filled with creativity. So does it qualify to be part of UNESCO’S Creative City Network?

The capital of Yucatan will find out.

The Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have included creative and cultural communities as a strategic factor for sustainable urban growth.

So far, 180 cities around the globe are in the club.

Merida has applied to be Number 181, said Economic Development Eduardo Seijo Solís.

Crafts and popular arts, digital arts, cinema, design, gastronomy, literature and music are all areas UNESCO ticks off when weighing a city’s merits.

Networked cities share their best practices and develop links between the public, private and civil society sectors to increase the opportunities available to creators and professionals in the cultural sector.

The newest member of the group is Auckland, New Zealand, which is planning creative incubator hubs, the growth of sustainable creative communities, championing its indigenous music on the world stage and the preservation of the city’s music heritage.

For disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, these cities also improve access and participation in cultural life.

In addition, Seijo Solís said that Yucatan will participate in the Annual International Cheese Market held in Edam, Holland. Dutch cheese has traditionally been among the European imports widely available in Yucatan for more than 80 years.

Visitors in Holland will see how Yucatan applies Edam cheeses in marquesitas, charritos and Mexico’s famous Queso Relleno. That’s the dish in which a ball of Edam is cut in half and carved out. Then it is stuffed with a mixture seasoned with ground meat, raisins, capers and olives, braised in chicken stock, and served with tomato sauce.

According to legend, Edam first became known in Yucatan when a ship heading for the Dutch Caribbean island ran aground near the Chetumal coast. Its creamy cargo, wrapped in red paraffin wax, quickly became popular on the Peninsula.

With information from Punto Medio

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