Inscribed in 2016 (11.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Jeju Island, off the southern coast of mainland Korea, is a volcanic island with a population of about 600,000 people. Some landforms of the island were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in 2007. An average Jeju haenyeo holds her breath for one minute while diving ten- meter underwater to gather marine products. When a haenyeo exhales after each dive, she makes a unique sound called "sumbi-sori." A haenyeo works for six to seven hours a day in summer and four to five hours in winter. She dives about ninety days a year. The income generated from diving work significantly contributes to Jeju households. A Jeju haenyeo has her own mental map of the sea, including the location of reefs and the habitat for shellfish. She also has a command of local knowledge on the winds and tides. The maps and knowledge are acquired through repeated diving experience by each haenyeo. Most Jeju haenyeo rely upon upper-skilled haenyeo’s (sanggun) weather forecast for diving rather than listening to the official forecasts. Jeju haenyeo communities practice a shamanistic ritual for the goddess of the sea (jamsugut). The ritual includes prayers for safety at sea and an abundant catch. The ritual has a part for the haenyeo to sing a song called “Seoujet-Sori.” “Haenyeo Norae” (Haenyeo Song), which used to be sung while rowing their boat out to the sea for diving, has been an important part of Jeju haenyeo culture.

South Korea 2016

Gulazyk is an ancient meal of the Kyrgyz people. It is meat made into powder. Preparation of gulazyk: salted meat was boiled and then dried in a cool, well-ventilated and dark place. Then, the meat was grinded several times with millstones until it turned into a very fine powder. Sometimes, the dried and grinded intestines of wild animals are added into gulazyk.

Boodog is a delicacy in Mongolia. We treat our guests with it. In order to make boodog, a goat is choked without cutting the pit of stomach of goat. All the bones and entrails of the dead goat are removed through the neck skin. Then seasoned meat is stuffed through the neck into the boneless skin. In such manner, the hot roundish stones and seasoned meat are stuffed alternatively. The seasoned meat consists of onion, allium mongolicum and pepper. Then a bit of water is added into the boneless skin. Then we tie the neck of the boneless skin with rope of horse's hair up tightly and place the boneless skin on hot cow dung, turning it in various directions. Those hot roundish stones roast the meat and its skin. We place it on the hot embers and wash it with water. During these periods we take vapours from the neck of the boneless skin. The taste of this meat is delicious; its stock is good for those suffering from mental fatigue. It is good for health if you roll the warm stone on your fingers balls.

Uzbek cuisine (cookery) today is a special national brand. It is no coincidence that every year it is gaining increasing popularity in the countries of near and far abroad. The great culinary heritage of the Uzbek people has passed the test of time. Each new era brought new products and new technologies. Accepting new things and developing, Uzbek cuisine has invariably remained national, bright and original. It is the highest dignity, wealth and special harmony of Uzbek cuisine that attract an increasing number of fans around the world to it. With a three-thousand-year history, the gastronomy of Uzbekistan is distinguished by its diversity, calorie content, healing properties, as well as its aesthetic qualities. At the same time, the traditions and culture of cooking, characteristic of our region, form a nationwide culinary art.

The picture above is of my family and me making Yamari (traditional typical Newari Bread) in Nepal 2019. It was midwinter, freezing cold morning. The majestic view of snowclad mountains seems refreshed after wakening up. Many trees were denuded of leaves and the lawn was covered in frost. I was wearing gloves and a woolen cap to escape from the cold, sitting in my yard drinking chiya (a traditional nepali tea) and enjoying the splendid morning view with my father. In the meanwhile, I heard my mother calling us to the kitchen. We went to the kitchen and saw my mother ready for making “Yamari”. She wanted us to give her our hands in making the “Yamari”. "Ya" means "to like'' and "mari" means "bread" in Newari language, which literally means “tasty bread”. Yamari is a steamed sweet bread made of rice flour (from the new harvest) dough, shaped like fig with ends like a fishtail and filled with chaku (a sweet made up of sugarcane, ghee, and nut, etc.) and sesame seeds. I was so excited because Yamari was one of my favorite foods which are eaten once a year, in the winter season only. I always wondered why it is made in winter only but not in other seasons. My mother explains, “Eating Yamari avoids the effects of cold winter. Our body gets weak in winter, so, to energize our body we eat chaku which is only made in winter”. However, nowadays it is becoming a popular snack and can be seen in city markets. My mother taught me how to make nice shaped Yamari. The closing part of it must be like the shape of the tail longer if possible because it is believed that the longer the tail is the longer the day will be, and night get shorter which means soon the winter will end. I followed my mother but failed several times. Some shaped round, some shaped semi triangle. After failing several times, I was able to make a beautiful Yamari (third picture). According to the Newari tradition, children including elders go to nearby houses door to door singing a special song and asking for Yamari on a full moon day known as the yamari full moon day. This event used to be real fun and memorable especially for children. However, today this tradition is gradually disappearing. Children and youngsters have no craze for Yamari like before. They are more interested in mobiles or computer games than in preserving their culture and tradition.

Bhutan is one of the world's smallest countries, but its cultural diversity and richness are remarkable. As a result, a considerable emphasis is placed on promoting and preserving its own culture. It is hoped that by safeguarding and nurturing Bhutan's living culture, the nation's sovereignty will be preserved. However, the Kingdom of Bhutan is undergoing tremendous transformation in the social, cultural, economic, and political spheres, resulting in unprecedented social confusion and stress. As a child, I liked photography and travel, and now I enjoy sharing stories via photographs. Our country, although rich in culture, is currently at a crossroads between modernisation and cultural preservation; with the improvement of living standards, it is difficult to see age-old practices and traditions being practiced. Everything from the way we travel to the food we eat, the language we speak, and the clothes we wear is changing and, in some cases, fading as time passes. These images serve as harsh reminders of how a country's intangible cultures and heritage are disappearing.

Kapingamarangi is one of two Polynesian Islands with Nukuoro Atoll in Micronesia. March 15 is the Kapingamarangi Taro Cerebration Day, which commemorates communal efforts to expand taro patches on the island. This project, which began around 1944 during WWII, was very hard work during the hardship in wartime, only relying on manpower with simple tools such as shovels made from a drum. Their success was begun to be cerebrated from 1947. Two kinds of food, sea eels and giant swamp taro, are the main dishes in the communal feast. The eels were caught in traps and were roasted on fire fueled by firewood of hard mangrove wood for several hours.

The rice cake in the picture is one of the Korean street dishes made by making bread with alcohol. It is called bread, but unlike bread, which is mainly flour or corn flour, it mixes makgeolli and yeast in it. In the manufacturing process, almost all alcohol components disappear due to heat, but the aroma of alcohol remains. Recently, it has disappeared a lot, but only 10 years ago, it was a common food in street truck stalls. 사진의 떡은 술빵으로 한국의 길거리 음식중 하나이다. 명칭은 빵이지만 밀가루, 옥수수가루가 주재료인 빵과 달리 막걸리와 그 안에 들어있는 효모를 주재료로 더 많이 섞는다. 제조 과정에서 열에 의해 알코올 성분이 대부분 날아가지만 알코올 향이 조금은 남아있다. 요즘은 많이 사라졌지만 불과 10년전만해도 길거리 트럭 노점상에서 흔히 접할 수 있는 음식이었다.