UAE traditional dish Harees added to UN intangible cultural heritage list

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that the popular traditional food Harees is now inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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.

It 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.

During its eighteenth session in Kasane-Botswana, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO approved the addition of Harees on the UNESCO Representative list. The UAE led the Harees nomination file in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Oman.

This addition marks the fifteenth element added on behalf of the UAE on UNESCO's lists, continuing a series that commenced in 2010 with the inclusion of falconry.