Sardines on a stick? That’s an Espeto, and do you know what? The Spanish Senate wants to make them into a UN Cultural Heritage issue.

Yes, that’s right; a humble sardine, impaled on a slither of bamboo and grilled over a wood fire will now become the Sacred Sardine, no less… That is, if they can get it past the appropriate UNESCO committee.

No surprises, then, to learn that this is the idea of the Spanish conservative party, who are panting to get bull fighting a glorious accolade as well.

What they are pushing is the espeto as a “traditional technique for preparing sardines, a-la-Malagueña, which dates back to 1882.” Even King Alfonso XII in the 1880s scoffed a batch down on his official tour of the Axarquia following a particularly destructive earthquake in the area.

The Spanish Cultural Department considers it “vital” that the dear old Espeto gets a pat on the back by UNESCO before traditional culinary skills are lost in the erosion of tourism.

Yet, you can’t help but think that they will finally enshrine the Sardine on a Nifty Stick just a few weeks before they become extinct from overfishing…

(News: Spain)