A type of sausage roll popular in the southern region of Brabant has been included on the Dutch official immaterial heritage list, bringing the total number of entries to 77.

The worstenbroodje, made of spiced minced pork and white dough, is popular at Christmas and at fairs. Some 25 million are eaten every year.

Inclusion on the list means the culture surrounding the snack is considered to be an important tradition which should not be lost to future generations.

‘This is an extremely great honour,’ baker Ton Poppelaars is quoted as saying after being told the news. The decision to include the sausage role was announced at the presentation of the prize for the best worstenbroodje, which Poppelaars won.

The Zundert Bloemencorso flower parade, the Boxmeerse Vaart procession, the slow gliding style of Dutch skating and the Sint Maartens celebrations in Utrecht are among the dozens of traditions already included on the list.

The list is coordinated by the Dutch cultural heritage centre VIE and was set up in line with a Unesco convention. Later this year, the Netherlands will decide which traditions it will submit for inclusion on the international Unesco list.