Rome, Dec. 10 - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted today the inclusion of the country's cuisine in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
"This news fills us with pride," the premier expressed just minutes after the decision was announced this Wednesday by UNESCO during the twentieth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held this week in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
In a message published on the official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the head of government emphasized that "for us Italians, cuisine is not just food, it is not just a collection of recipes, it is much more: it is culture, tradition, work, and wealth."
In fact, she pointed out, it "arises from agricultural supply chains that combine quality and sustainability," preserves "an age-old heritage passed down from generation to generation," while also "growing thanks to the excellence of our producers and transforming into masterpieces thanks to the mastery of our chefs."
"We already export 70 billion euros in agri-food products and are the leading European economy in agricultural added value," she stated, adding that "this recognition will give the Italian economy a decisive boost to reach new goals."
In the dossier submitted by Italy to UNESCO in March 2023, titled "Italian Cuisine: Sustainability and Biocultural Diversity," it was emphasized that Italian gastronomy represents an emotional heritage that goes beyond the purely nutritional.
By approving its inscription in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the international organization argued that the Italian culinary art achieved a legacy that knew how to incorporate influences from other cultures without losing its essence.
Italian cuisine, it added, is a practice "based on mutual respect, enriched over centuries by migrants, by commercial exchanges, by maritime routes, and by diasporas that carried its flavor" with dishes such as Neapolitan Pizzas, Pasta Carbonara, Bolognese Lasagna, Tortellini, and Risotto, among many others.
With this new inclusion, the number of Italian cultural manifestations included in this heritage list rises to 16, and regarding food-related elements, the Mediterranean diet was previously inscribed in 2010; the art of Neapolitan pizza makers, in 2017; and four years later, the search for and extraction of truffles.
UNESCO stressed, upon approving the incorporation of Italian Cuisine, that it is "a unifying system that transforms time shared at the table into a tool to express feelings, build dialogues, or share ideas."
