Is espresso an intangible cultural heritage of Italy?

An "intra-Italian" opposition has stopped the inclusion of espresso in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Unesco.

The Intangible Cultural Heritage List is a list established by Unesco in 2008, after processes that lasted about five years. Since then, the list has been constantly enriched, including elements of human cultural heritage without material substance (food, music and dance, habits, arts and techniques, elements of agriculture and animal husbandry, etc.) that are of particular interest or need protection.

So far, the list includes 508 records corresponding to 122 countries, and although the committee makes it clear that the record shows neither exclusivity nor superiority, it is a fact that the data included are universal treasures that deserve special protection and attention.

Indicatively, Greece has in the relevant list the wintering of the herds, the art of dry stone, the Mediterranean diet, the Byzantine chanting, the cultivation of mastic in Chios, the Tinian marble sculpture and the New Year festivities of Western Macedonia, the traditional musical instruments, but also the technique of traditional Neapolitan pizza.

Italian Espresso time for Unesco?

As much as it is one of the most famous pieces of Italian gastronomy in the world, espresso is not included in the relevant list of Unesco. Although he was born and raised in Italy, where he created a whole web of behaviors (coffee culture) and then spread around the globe, he has not received relative institutional recognition. Until 2021, it seemed to be the year of Espresso, as everything indicated that it would be nominated for the relevant Unesco list.

However, the Italian section of Unesco did not propose the proposal to include espresso culture in the list of the organization's intangible cultural heritage, and preferred to nominate two other candidates, the traditional Lipzzani horse breeding and the Tocati festival for the conservation of traditional games and sports.

The main reason for this unpleasant development is that the Ministry of Agriculture presented two proposals instead of one, which essentially concerned the same subject. The first proposal dates from the beginning of 2019 and concerned the "Ritual of traditional Italian Espresso" and the second from the end of the same year described the "Culture of Neapolitan Espresso". In the face of the impasse and the impossibility of conciliation, no proposal was approved, and the committee called on both parties to return with a joint, better-formulated proposal in 2023.

The chronicle of the cons

As much as it seems autonomous that espresso is an Italian invention and a national heritage of the neighboring country, Unesco decides with specific procedures and specific criteria, so each file submitted to the committee must meet certain very specific standards.

The original proposal was designed by the "Organization for the Protection of Traditional Italian Espresso" and focused mainly on the importance of espresso for the daily life of Italians, while emphasizing its "national" character. The proposal seemed to correct a years-long wait, as espresso is a fact that has not received the official, "institutional" recognition it deserves.

The second proposal was written by the Campania region, in an effort to stimulate interest in the region and focus on more "tangible" things, such as businesses that have been operating for a number of years, old coffee mills, age-old espresso bars, and special and distinct coffee consumption habits formed in Naples, the capital of the region.

Many argue that the "embrace" of espresso is large, and the diversity of Italian coffee culture not only does not act restrictively, but rather enriches the national heritage, as it is a fact that from north to south of Italy there are small differences in many aspects of coffee culture. On the other hand, there are many who claim that, regardless of reality, the Campaign's candidacy is closer to what Unesco seeks to highlight as something "intangible cultural heritage" and that if the proposals went to the next stage, Naples would have a better chance of joining the relevant list.



The only thing for sure is that espresso is definitely an "intangible cultural heritage", but also an "authentic Italian product" for thousands of people around the world - when institutional recognition comes, it will simply formalize what all espresso lovers and lovers will do. we know very well.