Why is UNESCO fighting to protect a soup in war-torn Ukraine?

Unesco working in Ukraine and other countries to protect the borscht soupBorscht cooking was inscribed in Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguardingUnesco has undertaken emergency projects in countries like Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria where refugees from Ukraine had to resettle, says Unesco’s chief of Intangible Cultural Heritage Tim CurtisThe first effort is to protect human beings, but after that, it becomes important for displaced people in times of conflict to turn to things that have helped them through centuries, says Tim CurtisWhy is Unesco sweating over a soup even as the war continues to rage in Ukraine? For, “borscht” is more a heritage in fear of being wiped out than merely a dish. After inscribing the Ukrainian tradition of borscht cooking into the list of “intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding” in July this year, UNESCO is working to protect the art of soup-making.Borscht is a sour soup common in Eastern Europe and the word is associated with the soup’s variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroot as one of the main ingredients. UNESCO is working in other countries too, where Ukrainian refugees have taken shelter.In an exclusive interview from Paris, UNESCO chief of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Tim Curtis told TOI that in a bid to safeguard Ukraine’s living heritage in the midst of the ongoing conflict, UNESCO has undertaken emergency projects in countries like Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Austria where millions of refugees had to resettle.“Borscht was in the process for the UNESCO Representative List. Then the war broke out. There is a provision in the Convention for Cases of Extreme Urgency and Ukrainian authorities asked us to have this element processed as a case of extreme urgency. Their argument was that borscht is fundamental to all people of Ukraine. Ukraine has many different languages and many different ethnic groups. But what they share in common is borscht and through the displacement it has come seriously in danger. In a sense, what they are saying it is that their identity as Ukrainian people is being endangered,” said Curtis.“We are doing a number of things with Ukraine, also on the sites, on the built heritage, including scanning through satellites sites that are being destroyed and so on. But in intangible cultural heritage, it's a bit difficult for us to work in the country at this moment. We are working remotely online with the authorities in Ukraine for them to continue inventorying their intangible cultural heritage in the country,” added Curtis.Curtis cited the example of Poland – host to the largest number of Ukrainian refugees – where UNESCO has developed teaching modules for local schools to incorporate elements of Ukrainian traditions in their education systems. “We are working with them to try and provide experts to see what kind of activities can help boost morale, give a sense of normality to the people going through this,” he said. On the importance of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of conflict-prone zones, Curtis said, “The first effort is to protect human beings, of course. But very quickly after that, it becomes extremely important for displaced people in times of conflict and trouble to turn to things that have helped them essentially through centuries.”Audio production: Sahil Gupta