{"id":395,"date":"2026-01-25T16:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/?p=395"},"modified":"2026-01-25T16:56:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T16:56:57","slug":"italian-cuisine-becomes-the-first-in-the-world-to-receive-unesco-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/25\/italian-cuisine-becomes-the-first-in-the-world-to-receive-unesco-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian cuisine becomes the first in the world to receive UNESCO recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rome \u2014<\/strong> It\u2019s time to pop the prosecco and maybe order a plate of tagliatelle al rag\u00f9. Italy has a delicious reason to celebrate: its national cuisine has become the first entire culinary tradition to be recognized by UNESCO, the UN\u2019s cultural agency \u2014 a distinction that will help protect it from imitators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The designation of Italian cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage was confirmed on Wednesday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, ahead of an official announcement from UNESCO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are the first in the world to receive this recognition, which honors our identity and who we are,\u201d Meloni said. \u201cFor Italians, cuisine is not just food or recipes. It is much more: it represents culture, tradition, work, and wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recognition caps a three-year effort by Italy\u2019s Agriculture Ministry to have the nation\u2019s traditional approach to growing, preparing, and serving food acknowledged internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe act of cooking in Italy goes beyond mere nutrition, becoming a complex and layered daily practice,\u201d wrote Pier Luigi Petrillo, one of the editors of Italy\u2019s UNESCO submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes as Italy continues its fight against \u201cfake\u201d Italian food, including a recent complaint to the European Parliament over jars of prepackaged carbonara sauce. The country has also challenged the production of counterfeit olive oil and the use of Italian-sounding labels on products not made in Italy. UNESCO recognition is expected to help shield Italy\u2019s cuisine from such abuses, according to Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis acknowledgment is a source of pride and also highlights the value our products, territories, and supply chains hold,\u201d Lollobrigida said. \u201cIt provides a tool to counter those who exploit the worldwide reputation of Made in Italy, and it will create new opportunities for jobs, wealth, and the continuation of traditions that UNESCO has recognized as a World Heritage asset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A living gastronomic landscape<\/strong>
UNESCO status generally brings prestige to designated items \u2014 from historical sites to intangible cultural practices, such as Icelandic pool swimming or Slovenian beekeeping. It also places a responsibility on countries to preserve these cultural treasures and often boosts tourism, although Italy already experiences high visitor numbers during peak seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meloni added that the designation could bring financial benefits as well. \u201cWe already export \u20ac70 billion in agri-food products and lead Europe in agricultural added value,\u201d she said. \u201cThis recognition will provide a decisive boost to the Italian economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s previous intangible cultural heritage recognitions include manual bell ringing (2024), opera singing (2023), truffle hunting (2019), Neapolitan pizza making (2017), and processional traditions involving shoulder-borne structures (2013). The Mediterranean diet, shared by several countries, was also included in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its submission, Italy emphasized that its \u201cliving gastronomic landscapes\u201d showcase the nation\u2019s biocultural diversity and promote sustainability, seasonality, and minimal food waste. The proposal also highlighted how culinary traditions are passed down through generations, creating a strong emotional connection to food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rome \u2014 It\u2019s time to pop the prosecco and maybe order a plate of tagliatelle al rag\u00f9. Italy has a delicious reason to celebrate: its national cuisine has become the first entire culinary tradition to be recognized by UNESCO, the UN\u2019s cultural agency \u2014 a distinction that will help protect it from imitators. The designation…<\/p>\n

Read More “Italian cuisine becomes the first in the world to receive UNESCO recognition”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":398,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions\/398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agenture-loop.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}