Pizza is Unesco heritage: the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker receives the prestigious recognition

Pizza chef who prepares Neapolitan pizza

The art of the Neapolitan pizza maker finally becomes Unesco heritage and pizza is an increasingly protected gastronomic identity!

After a long wait and eight years of negotiations, finally the Neapolitan pizza has been declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. Specifically, to have this important recognition is the art of Neapolitan pizza makers that, with theirs gestures, their rituals and the indisputable talent in handling the dough make this product unique, which gives even more importance to the Italian food and wine identity in the world.

To announce this wonderful news was on Twitter the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Maurizio Martina, followed by the tweet of Dario Franceschini, Minister for Cultural Heritage. It is a recognition coming from South Korea, from Jeju, with the unanimous vote of the Unesco Governing Committee for the only Italian candidacy.

So Unesco has included pizza in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity and it is the ninth protected asset in Campania, but the 58th in Italy.

Unesco's decision: recognition of the art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo

The motivation that prompted the committee to include pizza and the art of pizzaiuolo in this prestigious list, from what we read in the final decision is "the culinary know-how linked to the production of pizza, which includes gestures, songs, visual expressions, local jargon, the ability to handle pizza dough, perform and share which is an indisputable cultural heritage".

Unesco rewards the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker

Click on the poster to enlarge it

A long work 8 years: the many candidates

A long process, started in 2009, which finally rewards the many efforts to obtain recognition. Indeed, the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies had started writing the application dossier in the 2009, while in 2015 the Unesco Italian National Commission had presented the official candidacy, also retrying on 4 March 2016. Only then did the Board of Directors of the Italian National Commission for Unesco decide to nominate again in 2017 the traditional art of Neapolitan pizza makers in the List of Unesco's Intangible World Heritage Sites.

A new victory that further strengthens our culture in the world and pays tribute to a gastronomic product, pizza, which is not only loved by Neapolitans and Italians, but which is increasingly consumed by greedy and passionate people in the world. This is the case, for example, of the Americans who consume 13 chili each year, followed by the Italians with 7,6 chili.

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Written by Fabiana Bianchi
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