by Maurizio Pescari
Italian cuisine becomes an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. For the first time. identification it doesn't go to a plate, but a cultural value which over time has passed down gestures and memories, building an identity, ours. The 'kitchen' which I see recognized in this UNESCO article, it is the space of that Italian house, center of the family life. That table around which we built our identity, strong in relationships born and grown around it. The unifying value of that table, placed there in the center, where we can meet, talk, make peace, decide what to do, hear about what we've done. And eat. Yes, eat! Regardless of the 'what' and the 'how much', eat.
It is the concept of 'immaterial' to make all the difference in the world. The other kitchen, the one in the pasta dish, in soups, in meat, in boiled meats, in fried foods, in wine and oil, It has always been a world heritage site, tangible. The 'intangible' value around which generations have grown. The differences in preparation remain, those that give Italian cuisine the value of villages, of homes, where everything is better because I made it, like oil, better because it's mine. But there's one thing that makes our country unique: table around which we all gather, together, at the same time.
An 'intangible' value that truly makes a difference.
This recognition must help us recognize and make these values known to the new generations, to recover them if necessary, if lost in the abyss of consumerism, fueled by mass communication and nutrition, where haste has taken the time to choose and social media has taken away our ability to share with a slice of bread and oil.
