Italian cuisine was honored by UNESCO as a cultural heritage

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on December 10 that this is the first time a national cuisine has received this honor. “For Italian people, cuisine is not just a dish or recipe but also culture, tradition and identity,” Ms. Meloni said.

UNESCO’s decision is the result of a three-year campaign promoted by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. The submission emphasizes that the process from growing, harvesting to processing and enjoying food in the boot-shaped country goes beyond simple nutritional needs, becoming a cultural habit.

“Cooking in Italy became a multi-layered and complex daily practice,” Pier Luigi Petrillo, one of the editors of the nomination, wrote in the proposal submitted to UNESCO.

The UNESCO title was awarded in the context of Italy continuing to fight against “fake cuisine”, from bottled carbonara sauces sold in Europe to adulterated olive oil or products labeled Italian but not produced here.

According to Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, the UNESCO designation will help protect Italian cuisine from these abuses.

“This honor is not only a matter of pride but also opens up more opportunities to enhance Italy’s products, regions and supply chains,” he said.

This title is also seen as a tool to fight against those who take advantage of the “Made in Italy” brand value, while creating more jobs, promoting the local economy and preserving the traditions that UNESCO just honored.

UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage status gives great prestige to the recognized entities – from historical structures to intangible values ​​such as the art of swimming in geothermal pools in Iceland or beekeeping in Slovenia. With this honor comes the responsibility to preserve cultural treasures.

Being registered often leads to a tourism boom, even though Italy is already one of the busiest destinations in Europe and is often overcrowded during peak season.

Prime Minister Meloni said the decision would still have a significant economic impact. Currently, this country exports 70 billion euros of agricultural and food products and ranks first in Europe in added value in agriculture.

“The UNESCO title will be a strong push to help the economy go further,” the female prime minister emphasized.

Italy has had many intangible heritages registered by UNESCO such as the art of manual bell ringing (2024), opera (2023), truffle hunting and exploitation (2019), Neapolitan-style pizza making (2017) or traditional palanquin processions (2013). This country is also in the group of countries recognized for the “Mediterranean diet” since 2013.