Cucina Italiana Patrimonio UNESCO

31 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Culture, Italia, Italian life, Mangiamo!

Tags

Cucina Italiana, Cucina povera, Culinary Culture, Italian food, Traditional recipes, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Last month, UNESCO* (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognized Cucina italiana/Italian cooking, as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Patrimonio Culturale Immateriale dell’Umanità).

For the first time, this designation is given to an entire distinctive national food culture rather than to a single dish or tradition. For example, previous entries include ‘The art of the Pizzaiuolo Napoletano‘ (2017) and the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ (2020).

This recognition is not about specific dishes or products. It celebrates Cucina Italiana as a living heritage, similar to a language, deeply rooted in culinary traditions, community and local diversity. Also highlighted are biocultural diversity and sustainability, referring to the regional variety of Italian cooking, seasonality of fresh, local ingredients, respect for ingredients, and zero waste practices. Cucina Italiana is based on centuries of survival and cucina povera.

There is intergenerational transmission of artisanal food preparation techniques, skills, knowledge, and stories, often via i nonni. Cucina Italiana provides a way to express love, preserve traditions and promote a sense of cultural identity, while gathered to share meals around the table.

What does this UNESCO recognition actually mean? Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called this a victory for Italian identity, protecting food systems, and boosting the economy. Will this actually protect us from ‘Italian sounding’ products? Likely not, but through awareness and transmission of knowledge…such as what I aim to do with this blog….it can help protect local Italian culinary culture and promote respect for ingredients and preparation techniques. Most people enjoy eating Italian food, but really know very little about it.

If you are fortunate enough to still have nonni, make sure to learn absolutely everything you can from them while it is still possible. Be a spugna (sponge) and absorb all the knowledge!

Learn more about cucina povera and the resilience of our contadini ancestors in the post Grano Arso.

*UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a UN agency that protects biodiversity, safeguards world heritage, promotes quality education, and combats misinformation. UN World Heritage Sites spotlight physical places and monuments worth celebrating and preserving. Intangible cultural heritage does the same for cultural practices and safeguards cultural traditions at risk.

Italia has 61 entries (55 cultural, 6 natural) on the UNESCO World Heritage list and 30 entries on the tentative list. To read other Un po’ di pepe posts on UNESCO World Heritage entries, enter UNESCO in the search bar.

Buon appetito, Cristina

Writing about Italian Canadian Food Culture

04 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Bilingual posts, Italocanadesi, Mangiamo!

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

AICW, Culinary Culture, Food writing, Gastronomic history, Grano Arso, Italian Canadian Literature, Italocanadese life

The Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal and the Association of Italian Canadian Writers (AICW), as part of a webinar series dedicated to writing, an experience animated by Italian-Canadian authors, translators, journalists, publishers and bloggers, are pleased to present “Can you smell the garlic? Writing About Italian-Canadian Food Culture”

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 – 5:00 pm EST

Nonna stirs tomato sauce bubbling in a cauldron in the garage, papà proudly pours a glass of his homemade wine, zie gather to make taralli and biscotti in the basement kitchen…

These culinary traditions are a treasure trove of material for the Italian-Canadian writer. How does nostalgia affect the relationship to food and writing about food? Push past the clichés, what complicates the rosy images? Is it more difficult to write in a critical or unsentimental mode about food and Italian-Canadian identity?

Domenico Capilongo, Monica Meneghetti, Cristina Pepe and Jim Zucchero will read mouth-watering prose and poetry and talk about the connections between food and their writing. The webinar will be moderated by former restaurant critic, Francesca M. LoDico. The series is hosted by the Secretary of the AICW Executive, Giulia Verticchio.

Event details & bios: https://iicmontreal.esteri.it/iic_montreal/en/gli_eventi/calendario/2020/09/senti-l-aglio-scrivere-sulla-cultura.html

Italiano: https://iicmontreal.esteri.it/iic_montreal/it/gli_eventi/calendario/2020/09/senti-l-aglio-scrivere-sulla-cultura.html

I will be reading about Grano Arso. The webinar will be available to view later on the Istituto Italiano di Cultura-Montreal’s website and Facebook page.

In Italiano:

L’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Montréal e l’Associazione degli Scrittori italo-canadesi (AICW), nell’ambito della serie di webinar dedicata all’opera della scrittura, un’esperienza animata da autori italocanadesi, traduttori, registi, giornalisti, editori, bloggers…, sono lieti di presentare il webinar intitolato “Senti l’aglio? Scrivere sulla cultura culinaria italocanadese”.

Nonna mescola la salsa di pomodoro che ribolle in un calderone nel garage, papà versa orgoglioso un bicchiere del suo vino fatto in casa, le zie si riuniscono per fare taralli e biscotti nella cucina del seminterrato… Queste tradizioni culinarie sono un tesoro di materiale per lo scrittore italo-canadese. In che modo la nostalgia influenza il rapporto con il cibo e la scrittura sul cibo? Superare i cliché, cosa complica le rosee immagini? È più difficile scrivere in modo critico o non sentimentale sul cibo e sull’identità italo-canadese?

Domenico Capilongo, Monica Meneghetti, Cristina Pepe e Jim Zucchero leggeranno brani e poesie da “leccarsi i baffi” e parleranno delle connessioni tra il cibo e la loro scrittura. Il webinar sarà moderato dal già critico di ristoranti, Francesca M. LoDico. La serie è ospitata dalla Segretaria dell’Esecutivo AICW, Giulia Verticchio.

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Buon appetito, Cristina