Cheers! Serbia’s plum brandy gets UN world heritage status

Serbs drink sljivovica when they celebrate, mourn, welcome guests and mark important events, and have done so for centuries.

Bottles of brandy in a bar in Belgrade, Serbia (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

It is time to raise a glass for sljivovica – Serbia’s traditional plum brandy that authorities said is being added to the UN’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity.

Unesco experts gathering in Morocco this week decided that “social practices and knowledge related to the preparation and use” of sljivovica deserve UN recognition as an example of an important cultural tradition, Serbia’s Ministry of Culture said.