Heritage Feast: UNESCO Highlights Food Cultures Around the World

Italian cooking has been officially recognized as an "intangible cultural heritage" by the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO on December 10, 2025, joining French gastronomy, Mexican cuisine and Japanese "washoku" cuisine (inscribed between 2010 and 2013) on UNESCO's list of global cultural gems. This international recognition celebrates not just the traditional dishes from the southern European peninsula, but a "cultural and social blend of culinary traditions, [...] use of raw materials and artisanal food preparation techniques", as well as "a communal activity that emphasizes intimacy with food, respect for ingredients, and shared moments around the table".

Italian cuisine is one of the many representatives of the worldwide food-related skills and practices to have recently made its way onto this list. As detailed on our map, among the last two years' additions (2024 and 2025, excluding farming/agriculture) we can find delicacies and practices including: Asturian cider culture in Spain, Malaysian breakfast culture, Attiéké and Koshary dish traditions in Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt (respectively), Arabic coffee (shared by several countries), Sake making in Japan, Minas cheese making in Brazil, as well as the baking and consumption of cassava bread in the Caraibic.