China has just celebrated the annual Dragon Boat Festival, an event characterized by dragon boat racing and the traditional food, Zongzi.

And while the traditional dragon boat racing might be the most iconic image associated with the festival, the famous delicacy Zongzi is starting to become well known internationally. 

The sticky rice dumpling took center stage at a special event held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, dubbed "Chinese Food in the UN".

Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, assistant secretary-general of the UN, learns how to make Zongzi. /Xinhua Photo

It was part of a series of activities introducing Chinese food to the UN and the US, and was attended by UN staff members and diplomats from member countries.

Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, assistant secretary-general of the UN, learned how to make Zongzi. She said that learning how to make the traditional Chinese food gave her a better understanding of Chinese culture and customs.

"When you do something with your hands, you put your heart in it," she said.

The event also marked efforts by China to push forward an application to have the country's food recognized as one of the world's intangible cultural heritages. According to the China Cuisine Association, who organized the event, Chinese food has become the most welcomed "symbol of China."

Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, assistant secretary-general of the UN, speaks at the event‍. /Xinhua Photo

A report released by the association earlier this month showed that over half of the population of the US is interested in Chinese food, much more than those who take an interest in the country's culture, scenery, history and architecture.

"China has eight different styles of cuisine based on the different regions, and Chinese cuisine has a history of over 5,000 years," said Zhou Qiang, who ran the event. Zhou added that there are over 60,000 different kinds of dishes.

"It is not only the China Cuisine Association that should put more effort into this application. Chinese enterprises and the people should also make their contribution," said Zhou.