Founding Cities

/ Founding Cities

ICFG is built by four founding cities.

Founding city status is closed after the launch; cities joining later participate as member cities.

Türkiye

Gaziantep

UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy: Since 2015 ^[11]
Role: Home of the ICFG Secretariat

ICFG was born in Gaziantep, a city where culinary heritage continues to shape everyday life.

Gaziantep has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Gastronomy since 2015 ^[11]. Its culinary tradition is internationally recognised: Antep Baklavası was the first product from Türkiye to be registered as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the European Union ^[14].

The initiative brings this living gastronomic identity into a new field of action: using the city's food ecosystem as a platform for reducing food waste, strengthening circularity and contributing to climate action.

From kitchens and restaurants to hotels, institutions and local systems, Gaziantep provides the starting point for a model designed to connect culinary culture with measurable environmental action.

ICFG Secretariat

The ICFG Secretariat is based in Gaziantep. It is hosted and fully funded by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, with a dedicated team coordinating the network, the city dialogue and the initiative's international engagement. The Secretariat is also the contact point for cities and partners.

Contact the Secretariat

Türkiye

Konya

Çatalhöyük – UNESCO World Heritage: Since 2012 ^[16]
Role: Founding City

In Konya, food has long been more than nourishment. Here it is a matter of heritage, discipline and shared values.

Settlement in the region goes back to some of the world's earliest farming communities. Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic site on the Konya Plain, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2012. It is considered one of the most important records of the early transition to settled life and agriculture ^[16]. Today Konya is known as Türkiye's wheat granary. In 2024 the province produced around 1.8 million tonnes of wheat, about 9% of national output ^[17].

The city's culinary culture is shaped by the Mevlevi tradition, where the kitchen was a place of training and respect for food. Dishes such as etli ekmek, fırın kebabı and bamya çorbası carry this tradition into daily life. Konya Etliekmek has been registered as a geographical indication in Türkiye since 2017 ^[18].

As a founding city, Konya brings the perspective of a major agricultural region to the network. Reducing food waste starts in the field and continues through processing, kitchens and households. Konya's experience can help connect the network's urban gastronomy focus with the wider food system.

Italy

Parma

UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy: Since 2015 ^[19]
Role: Founding City

In Parma, food is a craft passed down through generations, guarded by rules that are older than modern food law.

Parma joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Gastronomy in 2015 ^[19]. The surrounding territory is known as Italy’s “Food Valley”. It is home to two of Europe’s most recognised protected products: Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, both registered as Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) in the European Union since 1996 ^[20]. Since 2005, the city has also hosted the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the EU agency for food and feed safety ^[21].

Parma’s food culture rests on long ageing, careful use of every part of the raw material and a close link between farms, dairies and kitchens. This way of working has always kept waste low.

As a founding city, Parma brings the experience of a mature agri-food district to the network. Its producers, institutions and food industry show how quality standards, traceability and circular practices can work together. Parma can help the network connect gastronomy with food systems and policy at the European level.

Brazil

Belém

UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy: Since 2015 ^[22]
Role: Founding City

In Belém, food comes from the forest and the river. The city’s cuisine is a daily conversation with the Amazon.

Belém, capital of the state of Pará, joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Gastronomy in 2015 ^[22]. Its cuisine draws on Indigenous knowledge and Amazonian ingredients such as açaí, tucupi, jambu and manioc, in dishes like pato no tucupi, tacacá and maniçoba. At the heart of the city is the Ver-o-Peso market, one of the largest open-air markets in Latin America. The Círio de Nazaré festival, where food plays a central role, has been on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2013 ^[23].

In November 2025, Belém hosted COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference. It was the first COP held in the Amazon ^[24].

As a founding city, Belém brings the perspective of a biodiversity hotspot to the network. Here, food waste and climate action are directly linked to forests, rivers and the people who live from them. Belém’s experience can help the network connect urban gastronomy with sustainable sourcing, traditional knowledge and climate resilience.