Our Chair is pleased to support activities led by Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów concerning the documentation and safeguarding of the tradition of rosół (Polish broth soup) as an element of intangible cultural heritage. Prof. Hanna Schreiber is part of the broader expert and partner group involved in the initiative “Tradition of Broth in Poland”, launched by the Museum that aims to support future efforts toward the inclusion of the tradition of preparing and serving rosół on the Polish National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The initiative highlights that rosół is not merely a dish, but also a social and cultural practice deeply embedded in Polish family life, hospitality, care, intergenerational transmission and collective memory. For generations, broth has accompanied family gatherings, celebrations and important life moments, becoming one of the most recognizable elements of Polish culinary culture.
From the perspective of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, culinary traditions may constitute an important form of living heritage. They include not only recipes and preparation techniques, but also social meanings, shared practices, knowledge transmission and community-building processes connected with food cultures.
The initiative has already received broad media attention, including coverage by RMF FM, TOK FM, Polskie Radio Zagranica, Panorama (TVP) or DEON. As part of its public engagement activities, the project also maintains an official Facebook profile documenting ongoing research, discussions and activities related to the safeguarding and promotion of broth traditions in Poland: Tradition of Broth in Poland – Facebook profile.
The growing recognition of culinary practices as intangible cultural heritage reflects a broader international trend visible within UNESCO safeguarding frameworks. Culinary and food-related elements already inscribed on UNESCO lists include, among others, the Mediterranean diet, traditional Mexican cuisine, Washoku in Japan, Kimjang in the Republic of Korea, Joumou soup in Haiti, Tomyum Kung in Thailand, Italian cooking, as well as the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking. These examples demonstrate that food heritage is increasingly understood not only through the lens of gastronomy, but also as a space of social relationships, identity-building, intergenerational transmission and cultural continuity. The discussion surrounding rosół in Poland forms part of this wider global reflection on the role of culinary practices within living heritage safeguarding.
Image: Aw58, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
