Ask 10 people where their favorite cuisine comes from, and odds are the majority will say “Italy.” And it appears that UNESCO agrees.
In December, UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, announced it added “Italian cooking” to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a list that UNESCO explains, “helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.” Specifically, Italian Cuisine was added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List, which “is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance.”
“This recognition is a source of pride but also of awareness of the further valorization that our products, our territories, and our supply chains will enjoy,” Pier Luigi Petrillo, who helped write the proposal for Italian cooking’s inclusion in the list, said in a statement. “It will also be an additional tool to counter those who seek to exploit the value that the entire world recognizes in Made in Italy, and it will represent new opportunities to create jobs and wealth in the regions, and to continue in the tradition that UNESCO has recognized as a World Heritage Site.”
As for why the committee felt it was so critical to recognize the cuisine, UNESCO noted that Italian cooking is a blend of culture and social traditions in all the right ways.
“It is a communal activity that emphasizes intimacy with food, respect for ingredients, and shared moments around the table,” the organization wrote. “The practice is rooted in anti-waste recipes and the transmission of flavors, skills, and memories across generations. It is a means of connecting with family and the community, whether at home, in schools, or through festivals, ceremonies, and social gatherings.”
It’s also something the organization said everyone can participate in by sharing recipes and stories of making Italian cuisine at home, and as a way to show their love for others.
“Beyond cooking, practitioners view the element as a way of caring for oneself and others, expressing love, and rediscovering one’s cultural roots. It gives communities an outlet to share their history and describe the world around them,” UNESCO wrote.
And, perhaps most important of all, adding Italian cooking to the list helps to “safeguard” the specifics of this cultural expression from imitators.
“We are the first in the world to receive this recognition, which honors who we are and our identity,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared in a statement. “Because for us Italians, cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is much more: It is culture, tradition, work, and wealth.”
If you’ve now got a hankering for a little Italian, but don’t want to make it yourself, you could always book a ticket and head to one of these 10 locally approved food destinations around Italy. Go ahead and make it a table for two; we’ll come along for a bite.