日本料理入列聯合國文化遺產錄大綱
Japan'straditional cuisine, celebrated for its centuries-old cooking techniques and seasonal ingredients, has been added to the United Nation's cultural heritage list.
The decision to protect Japan's traditional cuisine, known as "washoku", was made against a backdrop of rising concerns that fast food and western dishes are increasingly eclipsing the nation's culinary heritage.
Japan will become only the second nation after France to have its national cuisine designated heritage status, a decision made by officials at a UNESCO meeting in Azerbaijan.
While Japan has long been famed for its sushi, one of its most successful culinary exports, the nation has an expansive repertoire of traditional dishes beyond the raw fish snack.
With its emphasis on harmony and the passing of the seasons, the art of washoku has been compared to writing haiku poems and normally consists of separate bowls of white rice, miso soup and pickles alongside main dishes.
Other characteristics that have traditionally defined washoku include minimal meat, plenty of seafood and often the use of a fish stock base known as dashi.
Masanori Aoyagi, the commissioner of Japan's Cultural Affairs Agency, explained to the UNESCO committee, that washoku is also regarded as important as it creates a feeling of social cohesion.
Culinary purists in Japan have long expressed concern about the impact of the rise of Western diets in favour of washoku, a famously healthy diet with its copious fish, rice and seasonal vegetables.
Washoku's designation as an Intangible Cultural Asset is likely to be welcomed by the government, not only in terms of its cultural heritage and potential health benefits, but also in relation to the economy.
Its new status was confirmed exactly 1,000 days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the on-going Fukushima nuclear crisis, shattering global confidence in the safety of the nation's previously respected food industry.
Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, has set a goal to double Japanese exports by 2020, with officials most likely hoping that Japan's new culinary status will allay consumer fears and boost sales of rice and other ingredients overseas.以其歷史悠久的烹飪技術和季節性食材而聞名的日本傳統料理已經被列入聯合國文化遺產名錄。
保護日本傳統料理——也被稱爲“和食”——的決定提出的背景是快餐和西餐的地位逐漸凌駕於傳統菜餚之上。
在阿塞拜疆召開的聯合國教科文組織會議決定，日本將成爲繼法國之後的第二個讓自己國家的菜餚得到這一特定遺產稱號的國家。
作爲日本最成功的出口菜餚之一，雖然日本長期以來因壽司聞名，這些生魚片小吃的背後還有着傳統料理作爲昂貴的保留節目。
和食的藝術重視和諧與季節變更，它常與俳句相提並論。和食通常包括放在不同碗中的米飯，味增湯，鹹菜以及主菜。
和食的其他傳統特徵還包括最少的用肉量，大量的海鮮，並且經常用魚湯做湯底，也稱爲“dashi(魚湯)”。
日本文化廳委員正德青柳（Masanori Aoyagi）向聯合國教科文委員會解釋說，和食的重要還在於它能夠創造出社會團結的感覺。
日本的烹飪純粹主義者一直以來對於西餐的興起對和食的衝擊深感擔憂。和食含有豐富的魚類，米飯和時蔬，是著名的健康飲食。
和食成爲非物質文化遺產將很可能受到日本政府的歡迎，這不僅關係到其文化遺產與潛在的健康效益，也與日本的經濟有關。
申遺成功正好發生在2011年地震與海嘯發生的1000天之後，當時引發的福島核危機依然在持續。這令全球對日本從前備受推崇的食品產業的信心大跌。
首相安倍晉三已經定下2020年之前讓日本出口額翻番的目標，官員們也很可能希望日本申遺成功能夠減少消費者的顧慮並提高日本的大米和其他食材在海外的銷量。
