Ceebu jën, a traditional dish made of rice, fish and a variety of vegetables is photographed in a house in the Parcelles Assainies in Dakar on December 15, 2021. – Unesco on December 15, 2021 registered the Thiébou dieune (rice with fish in Wolof), a very popular dish in Senegal, as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the organisation announced on social networks.
The application for the inscription of Thiébou dieune was submitted in October 2020 by the Senegalese Ministry of Culture.
Thiébou dieune (Ceebu jën, according to the Wolof spelling) is a traditional dish made of rice, fish and a variety of vegetables. Prepared with or without tomato, it is served as a lunch dish in most households and restaurants in the country. The tradition is passed down from generation to generation.
The origin of this speciality is associated with Saint-Louis, a coastal city in the north of the country. The former capital of French West Africa (AOF), Saint-Louis is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Photo by SEYLLOU / AFP)
The United Nations’ cultural agency Unesco on Wednesday added Senegal’s national dish, a rice-and-fish platter called “thiebou dieune”, to its cultural heritage list.
Senegal’s culture ministry applied to include the dish, which is widely consumed in the West African country, on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in October.
“Thiebou dieune” means “rice with fish” in Senegal’s dominant Wolof language. It is often prepared with vegetables such as a cassava or tomato, and served at lunch.
The northern Senegalese city of Saint-Louis is believed be the birthplace of the dish.
The city, whose old centre is itself a Unesco World Heritage site, borders the Atlantic Ocean and hosts a thriving fishing community.
“The recipe and techniques are traditionally passed down from mother to daughter,” Unesco stated, adding that the dish is traditionally eaten with hands.
Thiebou dieune — also spelled “Ceebu jen” in Wolof — joins other food-related items on the Unesco list, such as the art of Neapolitan “Pizzaiuolo”, and couscous culture in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
