Italian cuisine has been officially recognised by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage,” a designation the country hopes will elevate its global prestige and draw more visitors.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, “We are the first in the world to receive this recognition, which honours who we are and our identity.”
“For us Italians, cuisine is not just food, not just a collection of recipes. It is much more, it is culture, tradition, work, and wealth,” Meloni said.
According to Al Jazeera, the vote by a cultural panel of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, meeting in New Delhi capped a process Italy launched in 2023, with the government portraying the country’s culinary tradition as a social ritual that binds families and communities.
UNESCO did not single out any famous dishes or regional specialities. Instead, the citation focused on how much Italians value the everyday rituals around food: the big Sunday lunch, the tradition of nonnas teaching kids how to fold tortellini just right, and simply sitting down together to enjoy a meal.
In its announcement, UNESCO described Italian cuisine as a “cultural and social blend of culinary traditions.”
The UNESCO listing could deliver further economic benefits to a country already renowned for its cooking and where the agri-food supply chain accounts for about 15 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP).
