"和食成為世界珍寶"

日本雖以他們的精緻餐廳聞名，不過是家庭菜餚榮獲了國際的肯定。

聯合國文化組織的聯合國教科文組織最近將日本傳統食物或稱「和食」加進非物質文化遺產的清單之中。在日本22項被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產的文化資產之中，和食是榜中第一種跟食物相關的資產。儘管日本近年來作為精緻餐廳以要角之姿出現，「和食」並非華美的食物。

根據日本政府對聯合國教科文組織的提案，和食是基於「尊重大自然」的飲食，回歸到天然食材和傳統的做事方式。不像許多人現在因為方便的關係而開始依賴不健康的現成餐點，營養在和食中扮演了重要的角色。藉由使用新鮮的當季食材，和食能夠帶來長壽並且避免肥胖。

除了和食之外，聯合國教科文組織的世界遺產名單上還列有其他四種跟食物相關的品項。分別為法國菜、墨西哥菜、在西班牙、義大利、希臘和摩洛哥的地中海飲食和土耳其的傳統慶典菜餚「keskek」。

(Culture) Washoku Becomes World Treasure

Japan may be known for its fine dining restaurants, but it is its homemade comfort food that has received international recognition.

UN cultural organization UNESCO recently added traditional Japanese cuisine, or washoku, to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Among the 22 Japanese cultural assets named to UNESCOs heritage list, washoku is the first food-related asset to make the list. In spite of the countrys emergence as a major force in fine dining in recent years, washoku is not anything fancy.

According to the Japanese governments proposal to the cultural organization, washoku is a practice based on the spirit of respect for nature, going back to natural ingredients and the traditional ways of doing things. Unlike the unhealthy ready-made meals that many people are turning to these days due to their convenience, nutrition plays an important role in washoku. Through the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients, the Japanese cuisine is able to contribute to long life and the prevention of obesity.

Apart from washoku, there are four other food-related items on UNESCOs heritage list. They are French cuisine, Mexican cuisine, the Mediterranean diet in Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco, and Turkeys traditional ceremonial dish keskek.

想聽語音請上FunDay