Abu Dhabi, UAE – The popular traditional food Harees is now inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi announced on Wednesday.
Harees is a porridge-like dish that is most often eaten during important family gatherings, such as weddings, as well as at national and religious holidays, particularly during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
During its eighteenth session in Kasane-Botswana, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO approved the inscription of Harees on the UNESCO Representative list. The decision was made after meeting the criteria outlined in the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The United Arab Emirates led the Harees nomination file in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Oman.
“The UAE is committed to the preservation of cultural heritage in all its forms, and has championed the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage which has the unique power to bring to life past traditions and knowledge from our ancestors,” Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture, said. “By ensuring to support communities and their heritage practitioners to carry forward historical legacies, the UAE’s leadership has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to intangible heritage at the national level and worldwide.”
He continued: “The part of our heritage which has been inscribed on the UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage continues to bring us closer as a people, as well as serves as a common link to those countries who share our heritage practices in the gulf, the Arab region, and international community.”
The addition marks the fifteenth element inscribed on behalf of the UAE on UNESCO’s lists, continuing a series that commenced in 2010 with the inclusion of falconry. Harees is prepared by cooking wheat in slightly salted water for several hours. Then meat – often lamb or chicken – is added and again cooked for at least four hours. The dish is then served with local ghee spooned on top.