Ceviche is declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO

He ceviche It is already Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity! During the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UNESCOheld in the city of Gaborone in Botswana, Africa, the decision was announced to include the practices and meanings associated with the preparation and consumption of ceviche in the Representative List of the most important international cultural organization in the world.

“(The cebiche) It becomes the twelfth element in the country to be part of this List. It is the first referring to culinary culture and the first that covers the entire national territory,” the organization highlighted in an article published on its official website. “The preparation and consumption of ceviche is part of a complex system that includes various culinary styles, techniques and knowledge transmitted from generation to generation.”, he added.

You can see the moment of the announcement at the UNESCO meeting here:

The path to this important achievement began in March 2022, when the Ministry of Culture began the application process.

The candidacy file, titled “Practices and meanings associated with the preparation and consumption of ceviche, an expression of traditional Peruvian cuisine,” was presented virtually to the UNESCO repository on March 18, 2022.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the file was prepared after an investigation that extended during the years 2018 and 2021 and that delved into the different practices and meanings of ceviche on the coast, mountains and jungle. “More than 400 people and representative organizations associated with fishing, aquaculture, agriculture and traditional cuisine; as well as research institutions and restaurant associations, became involved,” the government entity indicated.

It is worth remembering that ceviche was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2004.

Currently, Peru has 12 cultural expressions on the Representative List of the international organization. In addition to ceviche, the Peruvian cultural manifestations registered as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are:

• The textile art of Taquile (2008)
• The oral heritage and cultural manifestations of the Zápara people (2008)
• The huaconada, ritual dance of Mito (2010)
• The Dance of the Scissors (2010)
• The pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit’i (2011)
• Knowledge, techniques and rituals linked to the annual renovation of the Q’eswachaka bridge (2013)
• The festival of the Virgin of Candelaria in Puno (2014)
• The wititi dance of the Colca Valley (2015)
• Corongo Traditional Water Judge System (2017)
• The ‘Hatajo de Negritos’ and ‘Las Pallitas’, dances from the south of the central coast of Peru (2019)
• Values, knowledge, knowledge and practices of the Awajún people associated with ceramic production (2021)