Lollobrigida: Italian Cuisine Is UNESCO Heritage

“Italian cuisine is now part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Today Italy has won, and this celebration belongs to everyone because it speaks of our roots, our creativity, and our ability to transform tradition into a universal value.”
This is how the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, commented on UNESCO’s recognition of Italian cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“This recognition celebrates the strength of our culture, which is national identity, pride, and vision,” continued Minister Lollobrigida. “Italian cuisine tells the story of all of us — of a people who have safeguarded their knowledge and transformed it into excellence, generation after generation.”

“It is a celebration of the families who pass down ancient flavors, of the farmers who care for the land, of the producers who work with passion, and of the restaurateurs who bring Italy’s authentic value to the world. To them, and to all those who worked with dedication on this candidature, goes my deepest gratitude.”

“This recognition is a source of pride but also an awareness of the additional value it will bring to our products, our territories, and our supply chains. It will also serve as an additional tool to counter those who attempt to exploit the value that the world associates with ‘Made in Italy’, and it will create new opportunities for jobs, local prosperity, and the continuation of this tradition that UNESCO has now acknowledged as part of humanity’s heritage,” concluded Minister Francesco Lollobrigida.

What Is UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage?

It is the ensemble of practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities recognize as part of their cultural heritage. It does not refer to physical objects, but to living traditions passed down from generation to generation.

The “Italian Cuisine” Dossier

On March 23, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests and the Ministry of Culture launched the candidature of Italian cuisine for inclusion on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The candidature does not concern a single dish or recipe, but a shared cultural model made of community experiences, careful selection of ingredients, conviviality at the table, the transmission of knowledge to younger generations, and respect for seasons and territories.

Values and Meaning of the Candidature

Italian cuisine is the “cuisine of affection”: it conveys memory, care, relationships, and identity, telling stories of families and communities through food.
It reflects the bond between natural landscapes and local communities, embodying memory, daily life, and the cultural identity of each territory.


Retrieved from the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Official Website (available here).