In December last year, Washoku was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. It's very important to note that Washoku as the traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese has been recognized as a cultural asset, not any particular Japanese foods or dishes.
去年12月、和食がユネスコの無形文化遺産に登録されました。とても重要なことは、或る特定の日本の食品や料理ではなく、日本人の伝統的な食文化としての和食が文化遺産と認められたことです。
The Nomination
file no. 00869
for inscription in 2013 on the Representative List
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity summarizes WASHOKU as follows:
WASHOKU is social practice
based on a comprehensive set of skills, knowledge, practice and traditions
related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food.
「無形文化遺産の代表的な一覧表への記載についての提案書」（農林水産省作成仮訳）では、和食を次のように要約しています。
「和食」は食の生産から加工、準備及び消費に至るまでの技能や知識、実践や伝統に係る包括的な社会的慣習である。
According to the leaflet introducing WASHOKU, published by the Government of Japan, WASHOKU has these four features:
Various fresh ingredients and using their natural tastes
Well-balanced and healthy diets
Emphasis of the beauty of nature in the presentation
Connecting to annual events
(To view the leaflet, go to this site first and then click the Japanese text below the leaflet image.)
日本国が発行している和食を紹介するリーフレットによれば、和食には次の４つの特徴があるそうです。
多様で新鮮な食材と素材の味わいを活用
バランスがよく、健康的な食生活
自然の美しさを表現
年中行事との関わり
（リーフレットを見るには、まずこのサイトに行き、リーフレットの画像の下の和文をクリックして下さい。）
References/参考：
Washoku video on YouTube, uploaded by UNESCO/ユネスコがアップしたYouTube上の和食ビデオ
Washoku video on YouTube, uploaded by kanteijp (prime minister's office)/kanteijp（首相官邸）がアップしたYouTube上の和食ビデオ
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12 comments:
I hope Japan will keep this culture alive. Better not switch too much to the western cuisine and eating behaviors (in my country many don't know how to cook a proper dish from scratch and buy lots of unhealthy convience food).
Kiki: I hope so, too, and I think that the traditional dietary cultures will live on, with some modifications to reflect the times. For instance, the custom of pounding mochi in each home, with a mortar and pestles, has almost died out even in rural areas, but the custom of eating mochi and o-zoni will never disappear.
Can you please do a post on making home made miso? Thank you!
Katy B: Sorry, but I can't! I've never made miso from scratch!
I'll ask my father how to make it the next time I see him.
He seems to be a good miso maker, as you can see here:
http://hiro-shio.blogspot.jp/2011/04/my-fathers-temae-miso.html
Ahh ok, thank you!
Ichiju Sansai, from the Prime Minister's video, is how I try to formulate my meals. Breakfast is often simpler, ichiju issai or ichiju nisai (sorry. those are fun for my to try in romaji).
Somehow, this ideal has permeated my understanding of meals. I try to tell my American friends (I'm a born and bred American). Most understand, but only a few share my joy over the concept.
I wonder, Hiroyuki, has any foreign cuisine captured you so? It seems to me that everyone somehow loves some foreign country or language. (Sorry. Have you answered this before?) Somehow, the Washuko cuisine of Japan is special to me.
Arthur
Arthur: Long time no see, how have you been?
I don't think I have ever been "captured" deeply by any foreign cuisines, except that I was kind of fascinated by French cuisine when I was young. Now that I'm older, I feel that Japanese cuisine suits me the best.
新年明けましてお目でどうございます！今年もよろしくおねがいいたします！和食のベデオが面白いです、本当にありがとうございました！
osakan: あけましておめでとうございます。面白かったですか？それはよかった！
Happy New Year, Hiroyuki san! This is a very interesting post. I must admit I don't know much about washoku dishes and they are I think the least known part of Japanese cuisine.
Did you know that French full meal is on the same list? As a concept.
I have just read your answer to Arthur's question. I thought that all the Japanese are crazy about Italian cuisine ;-)
Sissi: Happy New Year, Sissi-san.
Yes, I know that French cuisine is on the list, so are turkish coffee culture and kimchi!
I think that French cuisine is regarded as a kind of haute cuisine in Japan, while Italian cuisine sounds more casual to most Japanese, as suggested by the word ita-meshi (ita = Italian meshi = cooked rice) イタ飯.
I had no idea about Turkish coffee and kimchi.
French cuisine is much more difficult to cook, more complex, so I'm not surprised... Especially the modern French cuisine which is more sophisticated than Italian which seems still very traditional and homely, even in expensive restaurants in Italy.
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