Ceviche from Peru was recently declared part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. (Photo: iStock)
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recently announced several new entries to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. While many of them involved handicrafts, festivals, dance forms and traditional knowledge, a few food-related additions stood out. One of them was the inscription of ceviche, an ancient marinated seafood dish from Peru. The news came during this week's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana, as per AFP. Find out more about this delicacy below.
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What Is Ceviche?
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, a classic ceviche is made of shellfish and fish such as crab, shrimp, red snapper, mahi mahi, and bonito, often in combination. The fish is finely chopped and marinated in citrus juice (usually lime or lemon) and seasoning. Later, the fish is typically mixed with onions, chillies, tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro, etc. It is served with a wide variety of accompaniments, which often vary according to region. Different versions of ceviche are popularly consumed in several Spanish-American countries, not just Peru. According to local anthropologists, ceviche was first consumed in the area now known as Peru starting more than 2,000 years ago. There are at least 1,000 different ways to prepare ceviche, says chef Javier Vargas, head of Peru's Association of Seafood Restaurant Owners, as reported by AFP.
UNESCO's official site explains, "Ceviche can be made at home or sold in traditional spaces such as cevicherias. Generally transmitted within families, its preparation and consumption entail specific practices, knowledge and meanings at each stage, from fishing to cultivating the ingredients and preparing the dish."
The Peruvian government's culture ministry told AFP that the UNESCO inscription, "recognizes all the people involved in the chain of this dish, including artisanal fishermen along the coast and in the Andes and the Amazon, and the farmers and chefs."
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Other Food-Related Additions To UNESCO's List
UNESCO has also inscribed Iftar to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The practice marks the end of fasting each day during the holy month of Ramadan. It often consists of traditional meals relished within families and communities. UNESCO has another list titled 'Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.' To this, it has added the traditional knowledge, methods and practices concerning olive cultivation in Turkiye. Another addition is Xeedho, a cultural practice in Djibouti that refers to a dish given by a mother-in-law to her son-in-law to celebrate the first week of her daughter's marriage.