After years of lobbying, ‘Italian cuisine’ now boasts ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ status. The county’s unique cooking style and traditions have been granted recognition by the UN agency that deals with cultural treasures…
Classic Spaghetti Bolognaise: A foundation stone of traditional Italian cuisine…
Italy’s agriculture and culture ministries have been petitioning UNESCO – and arguing their case – since March 2023, that their cuisine is the glue that binds Italian culture together.
“There is no single Italian cuisine, but a mosaic of local expressive diversities,” the government declared in a statement. “From Lombardy’s ossobuco – braised veal shanks with gremolata, to Puglia’s orecchiette con cime di rapa – ear-shaped pasta with turnip greens, each region showcases Italian biodiversity and creativity.”
According to Reuters, “Industry groups estimate UNESCO recognition could boost tourism by up to 8 percent in two years, adding 18 million overnight stays. Italian cuisine also connects 59 million residents with up to 85 million people of Italian descent worldwide.’
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called Italian food a symbol of, “culture, identity, tradition and strength.”
No stranger to UNESCO
Italian customs and practices are no strangers to the UNESCO list. In fact, almost 800 items including Italian opera singing and truffle hunting are already on the list.
Which prompted opposition critics including food historian Alberto Grandi (pictured, left) to chime in.
Grandi called the UNESCO candidacy, “just a marketing operation,” in an interview with website Mantovauno last month. In his 2024 book La cucina italiana non esiste (‘Italian cuisine doesn’t exist’), Grandi argued that many dishes considered traditional are relatively modern inventions influenced by foreign cultures.
Grandi’s remarks triggered backlash from the Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti, which branded his claims, “surreal attacks on national culinary tradition.”
Majority approval
But UNESCO recognition has drawn the approval of an overwhelming number of supports,not the least of whom are Italian restaurateurs…
“Authentic Italian cuisine needs to be protected,” said Luigina Pantalone, owner of Rome’s historic Da Sabatino, recalling childhood days washing dishes with her brothers and proudly noting that she is the fourth generation of her family to run the restaurant.
Three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura proclaimed: “Italian cuisine is an ancient, daily, sacred ritual – the art of caring and loving without saying a word.”
My take
I might not go as far as Bottura to praise Italian cuisine. But I do approve of the UNESCO declaration that it’s a cultural treasure. Let’s not forget that the essence and core of Italian cooking was brought to France when Italian noblewoman Catherine di Medici married King Henry II in 1547. One of her first major acts was to organize a royal ‘progress’ hitting all departments (provinces) of France cataloguing their culinary cultures. She was the first to codify French cooking, and we owe her an incalculable debt even today.
And let’s not forget that she undertook her gargantuan project after discovering that the French – and most other Western European countries – were woefully primitive in their food and eating customs. The first thing she did on arrival at Henry’s court was introduce the fork and spoon as tableware. Before that, everyone – from princes to paupers – ate with their hands and a personal dagger…
~ Maggie J.