U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognised Italy’s national cuisine on Wednesday as an “intangible cultural heritage”, a formal accolade for a cookery tradition passed down through generations, and one that Italy hopes will boost tourism.

The vote by a UNESCO panel meeting in New Delhi culminated a process that Italy launched in 2023. The government cast the nation’s food culture as a social ritual that binds families and communities together, and that goes far beyond pizza, pasta and risotto.

The 20th Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) session, meeting in Delhi’s 17th-century Red Fort, also added traditions including the Hindu festival of Diwali and the swimming pool culture in Iceland to its list.

In a lip-smacking statement backing Italy’s case for inclusion, the government depicted a

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