The UN’s cultural agency added borsch, a Ukrainian soup made mostly with potatoes and beetroot to its endangered intangible cultural heritage.
Unesco stated that the conflict in Ukraine “threatened” the preparation of borsch.
“Victory in war for Borsch is ours!” Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine’s Culture Minister, stated.
Russia’s foreign minister ridiculed the move, stating that Russia has no need for safeguarding.
Borsch is a hearty soup that is usually made from beetroot, but you can also find green and white versions.
Although Ukraine considers Borsch its national dish it is also popular in Russia, Poland, and other ex-Soviet nations. Its origins are therefore controversial.
There are many claims about where the dish originated, how it should be named, whether it contains meat, and whether or not sour cream should accompany the soup.
Its status as a Ukrainian or Russian dish was heatedly debated on social media in recent years. This has led to an intensification of what some call the “borsch wars”.
Ukraine applied in 2020 to add the culture of the dish to Unesco’s endangered cultural heritage list. The decision to add it to the list was to be made by 2023.
However, the rapid pace of decision-making was a result of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the “negative effect” on the traditional dish’s tradition, Unesco stated in a press release.
“The armed conflict has endangered the viability… because people are unable to not only cook or grow local vegetables, but also to get together to practice the element which in turn undermines the social, cultural and economic well-being of their communities.”
Reacting to the news, Mr Tkachenko said that “We will win both the war of Borsch and the war in this war.”
“We are happy to share borsch with all civilized countries. He also said that he would be happy to share borsch with the uncivilized ones, so they have at most something tasty, Ukrainian, and good.”
Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, ridiculed the move. Telegram: “Our Borsch does not need to be protected, but should be immediately and completely destroyed on the plate,” she wrote.
“Humus (pilau), and plov(pilau), have been designated the national dishes of many nations. As I understand it, everything is subject to Ukrainisation. What’s next? What will happen to pork?
British author Lesley Chamberlain wrote about borsch within her book The Food and Cooking of Russia.
According to her, borsch is a “spectacular soup” with “fantastic depth and flavour” and “deep red color”.
It can be made from vegetable stock or meat stock and can be used in both summer and winter.
She spoke out about the origins of the dish, saying that although the Ukrainians consider it very important, the food doesn’t conform to any particular geographic boundaries.
She said, “Its home is in a large region of Eastern Europe.”
