How to make bread a World Heritage site

In December 2025, UNESCO recognised Georgia’s wheat and bread culture as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Fifteen of the 27 species of wheat grown worldwide were discovered in the territory of present-day Georgia, five of which are endemic to the country. As a country on the Silk Road, Georgia preserves baking traditions stretching from India to Rome. Zaza Ivanidze, Georgia’s most renowned baker, is visited by professionals from all over the world. He has revived the cultivation of red wheat, one of the oldest and most prized native hybrid wheat varieties.