FOOD WARS: UNESCO RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN LAVASH DESPITE OPPOSITION FROM AZERBAIJAN
Society | 02.12.14 | 15:45
By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
While Azerbaijan’s latest efforts to prevent a United Nations agency
from recognizing Armenian lavash (flat bread) as intangible cultural
heritage have failed, experts in Armenia believe further such
resistance from the neighboring country can be expected in the future.
Enlarge Photo
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage held its 9th session at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris,
on November 24-28 and during the session the Committee decided to put
Armenia’s nomination ‘Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance
of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia’ on
the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity. In the wake of this decision Azerbaijan reportedly used
various channels to make UNESCO reconsider the decision, and some
media in Azerbaijan even reported that Armenian lavash was finally
not included in the list.
“Lavash is an element of our culture, and we defend our culture,”
ethnographer and historian Suren Hobosyan said at a press conference
in Yerevan on Tuesday. He called on colleagues in Armenia to prepare
for an “organized and fierce fight” from Azerbaijan.
According to the specialist, although there is bread like lavash in
all neighboring countries and such bread is also prepared in Arab
countries and even India, Armenian lavash is “unique in its kind”.
“Perhaps it is Armenians who settled down in Georgia, Turkey, Iran
that brought this element into those countries’ culture with them,”
said Hobosyan, adding that the popularity of lavash and the presence
of tonirs, the places where lavash is traditionally baked, in all
regions of the country proves the “Armenianness” of the bread.
“There was no home in Armenia that wouldn’t have a tonir. Only
Armenians used to have them and they were 1-1.5 meters deep, because
Armenians did not have much fuel. And, for example, Georgian tonirs are
above ground level, as they had more fuel to burn,” the ethnographer
said.
Hobosyan mentioned with regret that lavash is losing its popularity in
Armenia today. “We are losing the battle in our own country. We try to
prove to the world that lavash is ours, but it is not interesting to
the world, we should use it in our country, but even fast food that
is sold in our streets today is introduced from abroad – shaurma,
khachapuri, etc.”
TV culinary program host Sonia Tashchyan also believes that more
efforts are needed in Armenia to popularize local food and encourage
people to become “the bearers” of this food culture.
“We have lavash recipes that have been used for hundreds of years,
yet today they are not used,” she said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
