Italian cuisine recognized by UNESCO

An unprecedented recognition

The candidacy ‘Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity’ (Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity) is unique in itself as it expresses the fusion between culture and society, production and territories.

The UNESCO recognition defines Italian cuisine as ‘a cultural and social blend of culinary traditions, a way of taking care of oneself and others, expressing love and rediscovering one's cultural roots’ (UNESCO, 2025).

The path to recognition

the candidacy, presented in 2020 and formally advanced in 2023, was promoted by the Collegio Culinario cultural association for Italian enogastronomy in collaboration with Casa Artusi, the Italian Academy of Cuisine, and the magazine  La Cucina Italiana. The dossier, curated by legal scholar Pier Luigi Petrillo, professor of Cultural Heritage and Food at LUISS Guido Carli University, demonstrated the significant efforts made by communities in the last sixty years to preserve and transmit the Italian culinary tradition.

2024 represented the crucial year of the evaluation process, with the dossier analyzed as ‘a cultural ecosystem difficult to define and therefore unique’ (La Presse, 2025). During the IX Italian Cuisine Week in the World, dedicated to the Mediterranean diet and health, the candidacy received widespread promotion in diplomatic and cultural venues worldwide. The first technical clearance from UNESCO arrived in November 2025, confirming the solidity and cultural significance of the Italian dossier.

The cultural and social value of Italian cuisine

UNESCO highlighted how Italian cooking promotes ‘thesocial inclusion, promoting well-being and offering a channel forintergenerational learning permanent, strengthening the bonds, encouraging sharing and promoting the sense of belonging’ (UNESCO, 2025). Italian culinary practice is rooted in anti-waste recipes and in the transmission of flavors, skills, and memories through generations.

As documented on the official UNESCO page, Italian cuisine represents a community activity that emphasizes intimacy with food, respect for ingredients and the shared moments around the table. People of all ages and genders actively participate, exchanging recipes, tips, and stories, with grandparents often passing down traditional dishes to grandchildren.

The recognition also emphasizes how culinary practice helps to safeguard specific cultural expressionsincluding language and gestures, representing a means to connect with family and community, both at home and in schools, through festivals, ceremonies, and social gatherings.

Italy, world leader in UNESCO agri-food recognitions

With the inclusion of Italian cuisine,Italy reaches the total of 20 elements listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, out of a total of about 800 elements in 150 countries. The country thus achieves the record world record of recognitions in the agri-food sector in proportion to the overall recognitions obtained (Food Service, 2025).

Among the UNESCO recognitions already awarded to Italy in the agri-food sector are:

• the Mediterranean diet (2010), a transnational heritage extended in 2013 to Spain, Greece, Morocco, Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal;

• the bush vine of Pantelleria (2014);

• the art of the Neapolitan ‘pizzaiuolo’ (2017);

• the search and extraction of truffles (2021);

• the traditional irrigation system (2023), a heritage shared with Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland;

• the construction of dry stone walls in agriculture (2018), together with Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland;

• transhumance (2019), a heritage shared with Austria and Greece, extended to Albania, Andorra, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain.

This concentration of recognitions testifies to the richness and the diversity of the Italian agri-food heritage, rooted in a millenary tradition of respect for the territory, biodiversity and health.

The relationship with the Mediterranean diet

It is important to contextualize the new recognition of Italian cuisine within the broader framework of the Mediterranean diet, already inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2010:

• the Mediterranean diet – recognized as a transnational nomination of Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco, Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal – represents ‘a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions ranging from the landscape to the table’ (UNESCO, 2024);

• the recognition of Italian cuisine is distinguished by its national specificity and for the emphasis on sustainability and the biocultural diversity, elements that peculiarly characterize the Italian approach to food preparation and consumption.

However, a paradox arises: while the Mediterranean diet receives international recognitions, young Italians seem to be moving away from this tradition. According to the Waste Watcher International Observatory, only 8% of young people between 18-24 years consumes 11-15 weekly portions of vegetables, compared to 25% of those over 65. For fruit, the percentage drops to 9% among 25-34 years, while it reaches 29% among elderly (Il Pais, 2024). This data raises important questions about the need to strengthen food education and the intergenerational transmission of traditional culinary practices.

The economic and cultural impact

The UNESCO recognition represents not only a cultural milestone, but also aneconomic opportunity extraordinary opportunity for Italy. As declared by the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in 2024 theItalian agri-food export reached 68 billion euros, with a further 6% increase in the first eight months of the year (Adnkronos, 2025). According to Nomisma forecasts, Italian agri-food exports will grow by 5% in the first half 2025, surpassing for the first time the 70 billion euros (Food Service, 2025).

Studies conducted by the UNESCO Chair of the Unitelma Sapienza University of Rome, directed by Pier Luigi Petrillo, demonstrate thetangible impact of UNESCO recognitions on the territories. In Pantelleria, after the recognition of the agricultural practice of vine cultivation in 2014, the increase in tourists was 9.7%, up to 75% for tourism off-season. There has also been a 500% increase in the workforce in theagritourism in ten years. After the recognition of the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker, professional courses have grown by 283% and accredited schools by 420% (La Presse, 2025).

The agri-food sector, with its diversified production, represents a pillar of theItalian economy. In 2024, the cocoa and chocolate sector alone produced 372,665 tons, with exports growing by 4.9%. Bakery products reached 1,463,994 tons for a value of 7.937 billion euros, vegetables (including juices and preserves 1,384,093 tons, while frozen foods exceeded one million tons (Food Service, 2025).

Sustainability and waste reduction

A key element of the UNESCO recognition is the focus on sustainability and to food waste reduction. Italian cuisine has historically been characterized by ‘anti-waste’ recipes that enhance every part of the ingredients and promote conscious consumption of resources, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12).

UNESCO has recognized how Italian culinary practice reflects a profound respect for ingredients and for territorial biodiversity. Local communities are involved in the preservation of agricultural varieties native, techniques of traditional production and sustainable food systems that connect the producer to the consumer through short supply chains.

The international context

UNESCO has honored numerous gastronomic traditions since the establishment of the intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Among the previous recognitions are French gastronomy, Mexican cuisine, Arabic coffee (2024), the practice and ritual of Turkish coffee (2013), breakfast culture in Malaysia (2024), Ukrainian borsch (2022), and French baguette (2022) (Gambero Rosso, 2025).

However, as emphasized by Francisco Humberto Cunha, professor at the University of Fortaleza in Brazil and UNESCO researcher, while there are other recognitions related to specific cuisines, such as practices associated with Peruvian ceviche, ‘the case of Italy is truly the first with such a significant scope’ to cover the entire concept of a national cuisine (Washington Post, 2025).

Future prospects and challenges

The UNESCO recognition brings both opportunities and responsibilities. As emphasized by UNESCO itself, inscriptions on the intangible heritage list impose an additional burden on countries to safeguard their cultural treasures (CNN, 2025). Italy will therefore have to implement educational campaigns, enhancement programs of the food heritage and partnerships with local communities. These measures will also need to strengthen efforts to protect the biodiversity and encourage responsible consumption.

A particular challenge concerns thebalance between tradition and innovation. In the debate over the past year, there has been tension between the need to preserve traditional practices and the risk of stiffening traditions that have always been alive and evolving. As highlighted by some critics, there is a danger of crystallizing Italian cuisine into a static form, when its strength has always been in the ability to adapt and innovate while firmly maintaining its roots (La Presse, 2025).

Another significant challenge concerns the intergenerational transmission of culinary practices. According to data from the Waste Watcher International Observatory, 64% of Italians believe that thefood education in schools is the most appreciated measure to promote a healthy diet, a percentage that rises to 73% among those over 55 (Il Pais, 2024). However, young people aged 18-24 show different preferences: 58% would prefer the adoption of labels that can help in choosing more suitable products, while almost one in three young people (27%) propose taxing unhealthy foods.

Conclusions

The UNESCO recognition of Italian cuisine confirms that Italy is not only the ‘Country of good food’, but the guardian of an intangible heritage of universal value. It celebrates a cultural system complex, based on tradition, sustainability and the fight against waste, biodiversity, cultural diversity, well-being and social inclusion, sense of community.

As highlighted by the candidacy dossier curated by Pier Luigi Petrillo, Italian cuisine is ‘an act of love’ towards food, family, territory, and future generations. The challenge now will be to preserve and pass on this heritage to future generations, adapting it to social and environmental changes but without betraying its deepest essence.

Dario Dongo

Photo by Sofia Ciravegna on Unsplash

References

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• CNN. (2025, December 10).  Italian cuisine becomes world’s first to be awarded UNESCO status. https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/travel/italian-cuisine-unesco-status

• Euronews. (2025, December 10).  Italian cuisine makes UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/12/10/food-for-thought-italian-culinary-traditions-make-unescos-intangible-cultural-heritage-lis

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• La Presse. (2025, December 10).  Italian cuisine UNESCO World Heritage: Sustainability and biocultural diversity, the stages of the journey. https://www.lapresse.it/cultura/2025/12/10/la-cucina-italiana-patrimonio-dellumanita-unesco-sostenibilita-e-diversita-bioculturale-le-tappe-del-percorso/

• UNESCO. (2024).  Mediterranean diet. Italian National Commission for UNESCO. https://www.unesco.it/it/iniziative-dellunesco/patrimonio-culturale-immateriale/dieta-mediterranea/

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