Question: Mentioning a book to an individual to include in their list as *classic* was met with...

> 
> I wouldn't call "Book Name" a classic - it's less than 11 years
>  old.
> 
> 
> 

This got me thinking about when a book or other item (car, slang, recipe, etc...) becomes a *classic*. In my initial investigation I stumbled upon this description...

> 
> A novel can be called a classic when there is a significant time
>  period between its publishing and the current age we are in. In other
>  words, it has to be old, as well as critically renowned as a good
>  novel. Then, it can be called a classic.
> 
> 
> 

While the above may help define what constitutes a classic, it doesn't define the amount of time that needs to pass before that criteria is met.

Does the designation *classic* truly imply that a significant amount of time has passed since the work's creation, and if so, how long must that period be to qualify as "significant"?

Answer: 
There is no definite length of time which must pass before something becomes a classic. The requirement is that sufficient time has passed during which it becomes famous because of its quality.
To qualify as a classic, it should have stood the test of time. If a model of a car has been discontinued and no other model has earned as much acceptance in the time that usually takes for the older models to be forgotten in the light of newer, better ones, then the nice old model is rightly a *classic*! 

Applies equally well to literature or recipes?