L’anthropologie s’est intéressée à l’alimentation sous diérentes perspectives. Parmi celles-ci figurent notamment les pratiques alimentaires et les manières de table, la diversité des traditions culinaires, la variété des produits consommés, les interdits alimentaires et les repas rituels. Y ƒgurent aussi la place de l’alimentation dans la construction des rapports sociaux, l’importance de la commensalité, la pratique de l’hospitalité, le don de nourriture et l’échange des préparations et des recettes culinaires. Y ƒgurent également l’alimentation comme un indicateur de différentiation sociale entre individus et groupes sociaux, un révélateur d’inégalité et de hiérarchie, en somme un instrument de pouvoir.

Based on the accumulated experience over the course of fifteen years since the adoption of the 2003 Convention, Southeast Asia is well known for its diverse and abundant intangible heritage. Many states in this region have already initiated ICH safeguarding plans with active participation of communities.\nHowever, a number of Member States are still having difficulties employing community‐based safeguarding plan and programs. In implementing the 2003 Convention, much attention should be paid to build capacity to support and safeguard a wider range of ICH Stakeholders, including communities, group, and individuals.\nTherefore, this session will provide an opportunity to share experiences and discuss on the roles the community should exercise in safeguarding ICH. In this session, we will discuss the following questions: (1) Do ICH communities, groups, individuals, and practitioners fully recognise the spirit and significance of the 2003 Convention? (2) Are they subsequently assigned to embody appropriate roles?

Nepal is a multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural country with rich cultural heritage located between India and China. The 2011 census recognized 125 caste and ethnic groups and 123 different languages. The new constitution of the Nepali federal republic has further recognized all the spoken languages as national languages. The National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) recognized fifty-nine indigenous nationalities residing in Nepal in 2002 (NFDIN 2011). However, in the 2011 census only forty-seven indigenous nationalities were reported (CBS 2012). Among them, Tharu is the second-largest indigenous group with a population of 1.7 million residing in various districts of southern Nepal (CBS 2012).

As India is surrounded by Arabian Sea in the west, Bay of Bengal in the east, and the Indian Ocean in the south, the fishing tradition had its roots in Indian civilization from ancient past. Moreover, India is also considered the land of rivers as there are several rivers flowing across the country. The origin of fishing traditions can be traced back to the ancient Harappan civilization. The earliest available records on the life of the fishermen of the Southern region of Indian is from the Sangam literature, such as Ahananuru and Kuruntogai Anuru, which have literary references of the fishermen communities, including their cultural, economic, and social history. Sangam literature, though it was written in Tamil, sheds light into early Kerala life and dates back to the first five centuries of the Christian era. The physiographic divisions of the Sangam period were termed as tinais or five eco zones. The neythal(coastal) region was occupied by people like Minavar, Parathavar, Parthavas, Nulayars, and Turaivans. In Thiruvilayadalpuranam, a collection of epic stories written by Paranjothi Munivar, described the fishermen as neyther, parathavar, valayar, karayar, arayar, and pattanavar. The term valayar was derived from the Tamil term valai, meaning net. The term karayar was derived from the Tamil world karai, meaning shore. The term pattanavar, was derived from the Tamil word pattanam meaning town with the natural advantage of coastal region as the people engaged in fishing and salt making as their livelihood.

The life of the Bauls of Bangladesh revolves around body-centric ascetic practice termed sadhana. Bauls believe in the co-existence of every element of the endless Brahmanda, meaning universe in the human body. Thus, they make caring for the body their highest priority over anything else. They have created extensive verse about body-centric sadhana codes that they transmit through song. The verses or songs include descriptions of control over the consumption of daily necessaries, mainly food. And, they believe in the doctrine মানুষ যা খায়, সে তাই (a human is what he or she consumes). They also judge food as medicine, as the need to live a hale and hearty.

“A man in Pamir, from birth to death, is accompa- nied by all sorts of family and everyday rites and customs. In many traditions, including the prepa- ration and use of food, traces of deep geographical and climatic isolation are clearly visible.The Pamir highlanders who lived in closeness with their nature had a great culture, rich in traditions, cults, customs which created humane framework of actions in relation to wildlife. Cultural values and practices re- lated to caring for nature at the same time supported the life of the mountain peoples. This culture has become the main priority for the effective,reasonable and rational use of wildlife resources.Such behavior not only contributed to the survival of the mountain population in the most severe climatic conditions, but also became the main factor in the conservation of wild fauna and flora.

Since 2014, NGOs has been playing an important, if not decisive, role in ICH safeguarding, and the UNESCO Convention 2003 was implemented in Ukraine. The development center “Democracy through Culture,” the independent think-and-do tank engaged in cultural policy issues, including cultural heritage, took a core part in preparing the periodic report of Ukraine on the implementation of the Convention 2003 (approved at the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Addis Ababa, in 2016) and coordination of all stakeholders.

Water bodies in the mountainous and coastal regions of Azerbaijan, including rivers, lakes, springs, and waterfalls, host many cultural ecosystems. These have led to both tangible and intangible cultural heritage creation and contain a perfect level of human–nature relations. Climate change is a complex phenomenon that is affecting all areas of human life, including \nwater-related ICH. Its effects cause existing traditions, knowledge, and skills to be gradually abandoned and forgotten, which in turn leads to the disappearance of ICH. Global climate change also affects employment among the population in other areas, such as agriculture and reduces traditional incomes. This leads to the gradual migration of the rural population to urban areas and, as a result, the loss of traditions related to intangible cultural values.

"In this region of many “lands” surrounded by water, knowledge of the land and its harvests is tied closely to identity and heritage. This section’s themes thus offer a closer look at how the knowledge of caring for the land and harvests is a way of feeling for the Pacific islanders. This ICH, in addition to coloring people’s interactions on the land and carrying expressions of respect, is a means of ensuring sustainability and prosperity.\nPacific islanders depend largely on the land and their harvests from it for their survival, but these also hold deeper meaning for life. To the people of Vanuatu, for instance, laplap soso'ur is more than an edible delicacy: it is a feature of their cultural identity and a means to bring people together across societal levels. Similarly, in Palau, the mesei taro fields are valuable property, but they are also much more in that these pieces of land are deeply connected to the identity of the people, particularly women, and figure prominently in the colorful oral histories of the Palauans. Both of these cases, along with the other themes in this section, reflect the profound value of ICH related to the Pacific islands and their harvests."

Traditional treatment methods and folk remedies are used in Turkey for treating diseases, besides modern medicine. Applications within traditional treatment methods are mostly related to food and drinks. \nFolk remedies are prepared from the roots, leaves, flowers and seeds of various plants including nettle, hibiscus, nigella, harmal, and camomile. Besides folk remedies, food eaten to maintain a healthy body and to treat diseases are a crucial part of traditional treatment methods. For example, colloquially, dead nettle is recommended to be eaten at least once in a year for healing. It is believed that trotter or calf bone which is boiled for hours is healing for broken bones. In making of these soups, garlic, which is essential in folk remedy is widely used. \n\nAccording to the data gathered from the field research I’ve carried out in various areas and with various groups in Turkey and my obser-vations from this field research, communities have a shared and strong belief that some meals have healing effects in puerperal period. In this special period, folk remedy which encourages the use of specific food as treatment is used. Current practices in folk remedy are transferred from generation to generation by midwives and mothers. In this article, I want to explore the foods which are believed to have remedial proper-ties during puerperal period and also are described as a prominent part of themselves by culture bearers.

Long known as the cradle of civilization, the area that bounds from the fertile valleys of Al-Hasakeh, across the ancient deserts of Palmyra, and westward to the Mediterranean Sea, includes present-day Syria. Due to the vastness of the region, it is no wonder that Syrian cuisine boasts a rich culinary heritage dened by exceptional diversity and human creativity.

Tomyam kung, or spicy shrimp soup, is a typical Thai dish that became popular only 50 years ago. Tomyam kung is a hot soup made by mixing various ingredients, including herbs, in boiling water. The basic ingredients include ground cilantro root, lemongrass, galangal, torn kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, bird’s-eye chilies and shrimps. In addition, mushroom, tomatoes, and onions may be added depending on preference. \n\nThe word “tomyam” is a compound word in the Thai language. It consists of two words — “tom” and “yam,” which mean “boiling” and “mixing,” respectively. These two words refer to the Thai cooking process. \n\nTomyam is a traditional Thai dish originating from the country’s central region. The oldest recipe was found in King Rama V’s reign. It was stated that only snakehead fish and stingray should be used in tomyam pla, or spicy fish soup. There are some secondary sources referring to dishes that had similar ingredients and recipes to tomyam kung. However, they still lacked some of the important ingredients that are familiar in the dish today, such as lemongrass, galangal, and torn kaffir lime leaves.\n\nThe very first “tomyam kung” recipe appeared in a book, Khong Sawoei (Thai royal cuisine), written by Mom Rajawongse Kitinadda Kitiyakara. The writer cooked fresh shrimp soup for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great (Rama IX), Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, and the prince and princesses at the Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, in 1962. The recipe started with the instruction to make a soup from shrimp shells and heads, seasoned with fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. This was then strained to retain only the broth, which was poured into a bowl of boiled shrimp and seasoned with lime juice. Ground chilies and more fish sauce were added before serving. \n\nThe precise flavor of tomyam kung has never been fixed; it can be seasoned according to the consumer’s preferred tastes. However, a basic recipe is as follows:\n\nSlice the lemongrass, galangal, tomatoes, chilies, mushrooms, and shrimp\nBring a pot of water to the boil on the stove \nAdd the sliced lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves\nBoil for about 5 minutes and then add the shrimp\nAdd the sliced Thai chilies, mushrooms, and tomatoes\nFlavor by adding a little fish sauce and sugar (you can add more if desired)\nTake the pot off the heat and squeeze in the lime juice (if you do this before taking the pot off the stove, the heat will turn the lime juice bitter) \nThere are in fact types of tomyam kung: clear and thick. The clear soup is the original style, while coconut milk is added to make the thick variety.\n\nTomyam kung is a Thai national soup that very popular among both Thais and non-Thais. It has high nutritional value and is not too spicy. Its fragrance derives from vegetables and spices that are thought to help blood circulation, bringing good health. Tomyam kung is a very popular dish in every Thai restaurant. In addition, many popular snacks and instant noodles also use the flavors of tomyam kung. \n\nIn 2011, tomyam kung was inscribed by the Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture on the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage under the domain of Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe. Recently, the government of Thailand is seeking to have tomyam kung listed by UNESCO as part of the country’s cultural heritage.\n\nPhoto : Tomyam Kung ⓒ shutterstock