Italy’s food is loved far and wide. And it’s not just margherita pizza and spaghetti bolognese – there’s a whole lot more to this country’s cuisine, from regional dishes like Campania’s sfogliatella and Calabria’s ’nduja to the homegrown cooking techniques now used all over the world.
In fact, Italy’s culinary culture is so influential that it could soon be included on Unesco’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Following a joint proposal from the Italian ministries of culture and agriculture, a dossier, which has now been edited by Professor Pier Luigi Petrillo at Roman university Luiss Guido Carli, has undergone technical evaluation.
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Now that the UN body has given initial approval for the bid, all that’s left to do is await review by the Intergovernmental Committee.
‘It is wonderful to see the interest with which the recognition of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO heritage site is being followed,’ said Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, according to euronews. ‘But we have not yet crossed this great and well-deserved finishing line.’
The finish line in question is a meeting of the Unesco committee in New Delhi from December 8-13. Have your napkins at the ready.
Does Italy have any other Unesco-listed cultural practices?
Yes! While it seems likely that the country’s food will soon be added, manual bell-ringing, opera singing, the art of glass beads and ‘pizzaiolo’, which is the art of pizza making, are each already featured on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Check out Time Out’s very own roundup of the world’s best pizzas.
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