Italian cooking recognized by UNESCO, Meloni: “news that fills us with pride, honors our identity”

“I want to share some news with you that fills us with pride. Today, UNESCO recognized Italian cooking as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We are the first in the world to obtain this recognition, which honors who we are and our identity. Because for us Italians, cooking is not just food, it is not just a collection of recipes. It is much more: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth. Our cuisine comes from agricultural supply chains that combine quality and sustainability. It preserves a thousand-year-old heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation. It grows in the excellence of our producers and is transformed into a masterpiece by the skill of our chefs. And it is presented by our restaurateurs with their extraordinary teams”, said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, commenting on the news that arrived a few minutes ago from India.
“It is a record that can only make us proud, giving us a formidable tool to further enhance our products and protect them more effectively from imitations and unfair competition. We already export €70 billion worth of agri-food products”, Meloni pointed out, “and we are the leading economy in Europe in terms of added value in agriculture. This recognition will give the Italian system a decisive boost to reach new goals. The government believed in this challenge from the outset and did its part to achieve this result, and I would like to thank Ministers Lollobrigida and Giuli, who followed the dossier, first and foremost. But this is a game we did not play alone. We have won this challenge together with the Italian people, together with our compatriots abroad, together with all those around the world who love our culture, our identity, and our way of life. Today we celebrate a victory for Italy. The victory of an extraordinary nation which, when it believes in itself and is aware of what it is capable of, has no rivals and can amaze the world. Long live Italian cooking! Long live Italy!”.