Tom yum kung, the sour and spicy Thai prawn soup is now a dish that’s officially recognized as Thailand’s intangible cultural heritage, highlighting its cultural significance.

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage announced the decision to include tom yum kung on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay yesterday, Wednesday Dec 4.

In its inscription, the committee described tom yum kung as a traditional prawn soup from Thailand.

“The prawns are boiled with herbs, including lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root and shallots, then seasoned with local condiments. It has a recognizable aroma and vibrant colours, and combines many tastes, including sweet, sour, savoury, spicy, creamy and slightly bitter,” the committee said.

“The dish originated among the Buddhist riverside communities in the Central Plains of Thailand, a plentiful region that for centuries has been the main production area of the nation’s food. These communities traditionally avoided killing large animals, preferring to eat the naturally abundant freshwater prawns.”

This preference, combined with their local knowledge about medicinal herbs, led to the development of the dish, which is believed to promote energy and wellness, particularly during the monsoon season.

The knowledge and skills of cooking the dish, including the selection of herbs and other ingredients, and the conservation of the environment, are passed on within families and at social and cultural gatherings.

“As the dish’s popularity has grown nationally and internationally, it is now also transmitted through restaurants, organizations, schools and universities,” it said.

“Tomyum Kung is a reflection of Thai Buddhist values and the embodiment of traditional knowledge of the local environment and resources.”

This year’s list also included, among others, the making of jang, a food made of fermented soybean, from South Korea, and the traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan.

Thailand’s Culture Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said following the announcement of the list that tom yum kung “reflects the lifestyle of Thai people” and is “a dish of people in riverside agricultural communities in Central Plain (of Thailand)”.

“Its ingredients come from local resources and local people turn them into healthy food,” she said.

The minister described the dish’s flavour profile as primarily coming from “lime-induced sourness, complemented by saltiness from fish sauce, the heat of chilli, sweetness of prawns, and a hint of herbal bitterness". 

The list was developed by UNESCO in 2008 and comprises intangible cultural heritage elements from different countries.

It seeks to raise awareness of the importance of such practices and expressions, encourage dialogue that respects cultural diversity, as well as give due recognition to the practices and expressions of communities worldwide.

Others that made the list:

Jang making in the Republic of Korea

Jang are fermented sauces – such as soybean paste, soy sauce and red chili paste – that form the basis of the Korean diet. 

The practice entails the entire process of making, keeping and consuming jang, from preparing the soybeans and other ingredients to ensuring the appropriate conditions for their fermentation, aging and storage. 

Jang sauces can be paired with vegetables, fish and meat. They can also be used to preserve food. The essential amino acids produced during the fermentation process provide a critical nutritional balance to the rice-based Korean diet.

Jang sauces vary from one household to the next and are believed to embody each family’s history and traditions.

Sake-making with koji mold in Japan

Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from grains and water that is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Craftspeople use koji mould to convert the starch in the ingredients into sugar. They oversee the process to make sure the mould grows in optimal conditions, adjusting the temperature and humidity as needed.

Their work determines the quality of the sake. Viewed as a sacred gift from deities, sake is indispensable in festivals, weddings, rites of passage and other socio-cultural occasions. Although it is mass-produced today, craftspeople continue to make sake the traditional way. 

Chief sake makers, called ‘toji’, lead sake brewery workers, called ‘kurabito’, in the practice and transmission. Originally, sake was made only by women. As demand increased, men became involved in the process. Today, people of all genders can master the knowledge and skills. Sake-making is transmitted through apprenticeships.

Spring festival-  social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year

In China, the spring festival marks the beginning of the new year. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and involves a variety of social practices to usher in the new year, pray for good fortune, celebrate family reunions and promote community harmony. 

This process of celebration is known as ‘guonian’ (crossing the year). In the days preceding the festival, people clean their homes, stock provisions and prepare food. On New Year’s Eve, families dine together and stay up late to welcome the new year. During the festival, people wear new clothes, make offerings to heaven, earth and ancestors, and extend greetings to elders, relatives, friends and neighbours. 

Public festivities are held by communities, cultural institutions, social groups and art troupes. The traditional knowledge of the rituals, customs, legends and ballads associated with the spring festival, and the skills of preparing festival decorations and supplies, are transmitted informally within families and communities as well as formally through the public education system. 

Related crafts and performing arts are transmitted through apprenticeships. The spring festival promotes family values, social cohesion and peace while providing a sense of identity and continuity for the Chinese people.