The soup is a slightly spicy delicacy that is typically enjoyed on New Year's Day. It often includes beef or goat, as well as pasta, potatoes and carrots.

During the years of French colonial slavery it was served only to slave masters, but it became a symbol of freedom for the nation's majority black population when Haiti gained independence on Jan. 1, 1804.

"Soup joumou reminds us of the sacrifices our ancestors made to fight slavery and racism on earth," wrote former foreign minister Claude Joseph on Twitter. "I welcome this news with a lot of pride and emotion."

The decision was made during UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is being held online this week.

"It is a celebratory dish, deeply rooted in Haitian identity, and its preparation promotes social cohesion and belonging among communities," UNESCO wrote in a statement.

Other culinary traditions on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list include the preparation of Korean fermented cabbage known as kimchi, a flattened sourdough bread called il-ftira made in Malta and "hawker food" served on the streets of Singapore.

Meanwhile, the heady beats of Congolese rumba were hailed by UNESCO on Dec. 14 as it added the central African music and dance to its list of global cultural treasures.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Republic had submitted a joint bid for their rumba to receive heritage status for its unique sound that melds the drumming of enslaved Africans with the melodies of Spanish colonizers.

"The rumba is used for celebration and mourning, in private, public and religious spaces," UNESCO said in its citation for the music's addition to its list of assets of intangible cultural value to humanity.

Rumba is an essential and representative part of the identity of Congolese people and their diaspora, it said.

"The President of the Republic welcomes with joy and pride the addition of Congolese rumba to the list," the office of Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi tweeted.

The many customs enshrined on UNESCO's list of cultural treasures include the sauna culture in Finland and traditional irrigation systems in the United Arab Emirates.