Italy could soon receive a new UNESCO world heritage recognition—for its food

Rome: From homemade pasta from ancient family recipes to wood-fired pizza in generations-old restaurants, and everything in between—it’s easy to see why Italy’s cuisine is a favorite for many. Our readers even claimed that one of Italy’s regions has the best food in the world in our 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards. And soon, Italian food and its heritage may officially be recognized by UNESCO.

In late March 2023, the Italian government officially announced it was nominating the nation’s cuisine as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage element.

The nomination dossier emphasizes the impact it has had in shaping the bio-cultural diversity of the country. It defined Italian cuisine as a “set of social practices, rites, and gestures based on the many local knowledge that, without hierarchies, identify and connote it,” as stated by the European Food Agency.

The movement, led by the editor-in-chief of La Cucina Italiana Maddalena Fossati and driven through the efforts of world-renowned Italian chefs (Massimo Bottura, Davide Oldani, and Antonia Klugmann, to name a few), aims to celebrate the exceptional range of the nation’s cuisine and to promote the universal value of Italy’s gastronomic culture.

Fossati says that she is “deeply moved by this news”, having arduously campaigned for this outcome since 2020. “I believe in our identity and in the complicated-yet-wonderful country that is Italy. Now’s the time to try and determinedly reaffirm the importance of our culinary lifestyle, which is loved and imitated all over the planet,” says Fossati.

This isn’t the first time Italian food has been on UNESCO’s radar. In 2017, Neapolitan-style pizza making–the art of Neapolitan Pizzaiolo–was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The protection, dictated annually, comprises “cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage,” according to the UNESCO site.

A decision won’t be made until December 2025, but more information around plans to ensure Italy and its food are continuously discussed will be coming soon–so expect lots of pizza, pasta, and all things Italian popping up in your future.