Both Ukraine and Russia contest the creation of borsch soup, which in these times of war between the two countries risks being able to remain valid. Photo: EFE
Unesco announced this Friday the registration with nature of urgencyWhat Intangible cultural heritagel, from the Ukrainian “borsch” soup, a dish made from beetroot also claimed by Russia as its own.
“The armed conflict threatened its viability, the displacement of populations and of those who know the recipe. People don’t even know how to cook either growing vegetables that go into the “borsch”. And they can’t even meet to eat it and this threatens the social well-being and culture of the community, “UNESCO said in its statement.
In its note, the UN body is careful not to mention Russia, although it is public that this country has also claimed the “borsch” tradition as its own. Ukraine had already sent the application to register this soup in 2021, before the Russian invasion last February.
A long-lived Ukrainian woman prepares her borsch, a dish typical of both her country and Russia.
However, UNESCO noted that the protection of the “borsch” in Ukraine “it does not imply exclusivity or ownership of the assets in question “and clarified that this dish is cooked and consumed in other parts of the Eastern European region (for example, this dish is also popular in Poland).
According to the Ukrainian candidacy dossier, there was evidence in 1548 of a “borsch” market. near Kyiv and it was the Ukrainian emigrants who made it known to the world.
From Russia, contrary to this recognition, it was claimed that when it was created neither Russia nor Ukraine existed, but the Slavic kingdom of Rus from Kiev.
The annihilation of beet crops due to war, one of the points on which UNESCO’s decision is based.
Of peasant origin, it reached “borsch”. the Russian imperial court, being one of the favorite dishes of Tsars Alexander II and Catherine II, and also in space, intubated as part of the diet of the Russian crew members of the International Space Station.
In addition to the beetroot, there is also this soup cabbage, potatoes, tomato, meat and the famous “smetana” sour cream.
Its inscription in the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which already has more than 500 traditions from the five continents, facilitates access to grants and gives greater international visibility.
Source: Clarin
