Pizza and pasta celebrated as Italian cooking makes UN cultural heritage list

Italian food is known and loved around the world for its fresh ingredients and palate-pleasing tastes.

Foodies have been given another reason to celebrate their pizza, pasta and tiramisu as a UN agency listed Italian cooking as part of the world’s “intangible” cultural heritage.

UN cultural agency Unesco added the rituals surrounding Italian food preparation and consumption to its list of the world’s traditional practices and expressions.

It is a designation celebrated alongside the more well-known Unesco list of World Heritage sites, on which Italy is well represented with locations such as Rome’s Colosseum and the ancient city of Pompeii.

The citation did not mention specific dishes or recipes but highlighted the cultural importance Italians place on the rituals of cooking and eating