Visit Uzbekistan

Heritage
9
T
ALL WE NEED IS
PILAF
he ceremony of certifying the inclusion of pilaf
in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity took place in
Tashkent on February 3rd 2017. The Association of Cooks
of Uzbekistan declared pilaf as the curator of traditions of
national pride.
That same day, the Head of the UNESCO Office in
Uzbekistan, Ms. Krista Pikkat, awarded other nominees;
particularly, to the Ministry of Culture and Sports
on the inclusion of the national holiday Navruz in the
UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity, and to the State Committee for
Nature Protection on the inclusion the Transnational
serial nomination «Western Tien Shan» (Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) in the UNESCO World
Heritage List.
The decision to include pilaf in the List was made on
December 1st 2016, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. That time,
the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage considered 37 more
applications and approved only 12 of them. In total, there
are 336 positions in the List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage (traditions, holidays, folk art, dishes, etc.)
Many countries annually file applications to include
different positions into the List. However, the real chance
is given only to those that carry historical recognition and
real significance to humanity.
The national dish - pilaf has gained recognition and
become famous not only in Uzbekistan, but in Central
Asia, in countries of the Middle East, and all around the
world.