Korean fermented sauces set to gain Unesco cultural heritage recognition

Home > Culture > Food & Travel

Korean fermented sauces set to gain Unesco cultural heritage recognition

Published: 05 Nov. 2024, 09:57

People make doenjang, a traditional Korean soybean paste. [NATIONAL HERITAGE SERVICE]

Korea's tradition of making fermented sauces using soybeans is likely to be added to Unesco's list of intangible cultural heritage.

Unesco said Tuesday its deliberative body has categorized "knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to jang-making in South Korea" as recommended for inscription.

Jang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean-based condiment that forms the foundation of many Korean dishes. It encompasses several varieties, including doenjang (soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce) and gochujang (red pepper paste).

A final decision is expected between Dec. 2-7, when the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage meets in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Applications for the list fall into three categories: "inscribe," "refer" and "not to inscribe." Items recommended for inscription are typically adopted by the committee as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

The jang-making culture, if inscribed, would be Korea's 23rd entry on the Unesco list, which already includes ancestral royal rites, a percussion instrument performance known as pansori and the 5,000-year-old dance ganggangsullae.

Yonhap