This introduction will present the establishment of foodways as a new field in global heritage governance outlining some of the questions that this development raises both in socio-cultural and legal perspective. What do the numerous controversies generated by this development tell us about our relationship with what we cherish and want to transmit to future generation? How can they shed light on the legal conundrums associated with the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage? While the combination of legal and socio-cultural approaches allow us to explore different facets of culinary heritage, anthropological and juridical investigations have different objectives and methods. How can we establish an interdisciplinary dialogue?