“Italian cuisine, between sustainability and biocultural diversity” was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage!
The recognition was attained during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention held in New Delhi, India.
As stated in the documentation submitted for the nomination, Italian cuisine is an everyday practice that encompasses knowledge, rituals and gestures that have given rise to the creative and artisanal use of materials, contributing to a shared socio-cultural identity that is both chronologically and geographically diverse.
UNESCO has thus recognized the representativeness of Italian cuisine as a vehicle of culture: it is a set of not only culinary, but also convivial and social knowledge that is transmitted from generation to generation throughout the country. Through the sharing of food, gastronomic creativity and being together, Italian cuisine becomes the bearer of values of inclusiveness and environmental sustainability.
The inscription comes at the end of a long process of study and coordination by the proposing communities, aimed at enhancing the many cultural and local facets of an element that distinguishes our country in its entirety with a view to openness and hospitality, in line with UNESCO values.
During his mission to India, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani attended the 20th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage celebrating the prestigious achievement of Italian Cuisine. “This achievement is the result of a strong teamwork between institutions, associations, chefs and producers, achieved also thanks to the constant work of our Embassies and Consulates around the world,” the minister remarked.
Advanced by the “Culinary College Cultural Association for Italian Food and Wine,” in collaboration with Casa Artusi, Accademia della Cucina Italiana and the magazine “La Cucina Italiana,” the inscription of Italian Cuisine on the UNESCO List reaffirms the centrality of Italian excellence in the areas of culture, growth, innovation and sustainability.
In 2024, Italian agrifood exports reached a record 68 billion, up more than 8 percent. In the first eight months of 2025, it recorded a further 6 percent increase, highlighting a growing demand for Italian products around the world.
“Our cuisine is identity, tradition, growth and innovation”, Minister Antonio Tajani thus celebrated the inscription of Italian Cuisine in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “Such a recognition, conferred during the UNESCO Conference in NewDelhi, represents a prestigious achievement, which pays tribute to the traditions and territories of our country and reflects our daily commitment to the enhancement and promotion of the agri-food heritage and our supply chain, as well as the teamwork between institutions, associations, chefs and producers, together with our Embassies and Consulates around the world”.