Loved the world over for its pizzas and pasta, Italian cuisine has been given world heritage status by the UN’s cultural agency.
After a panel vote in New Delhi on Wednesday, UNESCO recognised Italy’s national cuisine as an “intangible cultural heritage”, and added the rituals surrounding it to its list of the world’s traditional practices and expressions.
It is Italy’s 21st entry on UNESCO’s intangible list, joining Neapolitan pizza-making, Sicilian puppet theatre and Cremona’s violin craftsmanship.
In its submission for recognition of its cuisine, Italy emphasised the “sustainability and biocultural diversity” of its food.
Campaigners noted how Italy’s simple cuisine valued seasonality, fresh produce and limiting waste, while its variety highlighted its regional culinary differences and influences from migrants and others.
The citation didn’t mention specific dishes. However, it instead highlighted the cultural importance Italians place on the rituals of cooking and eating.
Pier Luigi Petrillo, a member of the Italian UNESCO campaign and professor of comparative law at Rome’s La Sapienza University, said that “cooking is a gesture of love, a way in which we tell something about ourselves to others and how we take care of others”.
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He added: “This tradition of being at the table, of stopping for a while at lunch, a bit longer at dinner, and even longer for big occasions, it’s not very common around the world.”
Mr Petrillo noted that after Neapolitan pizza-making was recognised, the number of accredited schools to train Neapolitan pizza makers increased by more than 400%.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the recognition, saying in a statement that “this is a distinction that can only make us proud”.
“For us Italians,” she said, “cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is much more: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth.”
Celebrations are planned in Rome on Wednesday night, with a sound and light show at the Colosseum to ring in the successful cultural bid.
