During the meeting held in Ethiopia, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to include lavash in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the organization.
It is said in a statement of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan disseminated on Wednesday.
According to the report, on the initiative of Azerbaijan, the document titled "Flatbread-making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka" was prepared by Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Flatbread-making and sharing culture is a tradition widespread in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. Generally, the making of lavash invloves all family members, but in the countryside the process may also involve neighbors. Flatbread, cooked in the oven or on a metal plate in the boiler, is usually shared during celebratory feasts, birthdays and weddings as well as funerals. The breaking of the flatbread is accompanied by the words of encouragement and good wishes. Tradition is transmitted directly from master to student, it is an expression of hospitality and solidarity, and also symbolizes the common cultural roots and strengthens the sense of belonging to a community.
news.az