Italian Cuisine has Been Recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Global Heritage of Humanity

We at Bolognami are truly happy that UNESCO has finally recognized our Italian Cuisine as an important part of our Culture, a tradition, and a history rooted in our lives for centuries. We have always made it available to everyone who wants to appreciate it, just like a painting by Raphael, a sculpture by Michelangelo, the Trevi Fountain, or the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. This is because culture is also about conviviality, knowing how to live and enjoy all the delights and beauties that the earth grants us, including cuisine, which for us Italians is the history of our families. From the kitchens of our Grandmothers to those of our Mothers, and the small Trattorie di Paese (local eateries) which, though with increasing difficulty, are still the undisputed custodians of knowing how to eat well with seasonal, local products, paying close attention to whom to buy them from and where they come from, thus guaranteeing true Italian quality. Our sincerest thanks go to everyone who dedicated themselves to this initiative and brought it to a successful conclusion—a very important matter, in my opinion, for the entire Italian Agri-Food sector.

To Make Real Italian Cuisine, You Need the Real Original Italian Products of the Recipe

I am very happy about this recognition of Italian Cuisine as UNESCO Heritage. However, unfortunately, I am among those people who are worried about our Agricultural and Livestock sectors, where production companies have been suffering great economic and productive hardship in recent years. Perhaps no one realizes that to make real Italian Cuisine, you need real, fresh, and seasonal Italian ingredients, and these are produced only by small and medium-sized local businesses, which are often overlooked and mistreated. There is little help for young people who intend to start a career as a Farmer, and even less for existing agricultural businesses, outside of the so-called P.A.C. (Common Agricultural Policy), which no longer even covers the costs. I believe that Italy (the various Governments) must commit profoundly to maintaining quality productions, safeguarding these businesses, which do not work only for money, but primarily out of passion and to maintain the true culture of the raw material of excellence that the whole world envies. Without them, there would never have been UNESCO recognition; let us protect and safeguard them. If we safeguard a fresco by Perugino, we must do the same with all the Agri-Food products of our Italy; they are equally precious, and they generate very important work and income.

Let's Make Excellent Food Products Available to the Consumer

I understand that today, for many end consumers, it is increasingly difficult to purchase artisan food products because they are more and more expensive, and many people think it is the fault of the farmer or the breeder, but this is not the case; they are the only ones who do not profit and the only ones who take risks. Those who profit are the wholesale and retail merchants, who only move money around, passing every problem down to the producer. It has already been happening for some time that products of all kinds and from every place on the planet end up on our tables solely for mere economic interest, certainly not for cultural reasons or the customer's health. I think it's time for the consumer to wake up and be informed with the utmost precision, and as a legal obligation, where the grain used to make the Bread comes from, where the Tomatoes used to make the Passata (purée) come from, and where the Extra Virgin Olive Oil they use for seasoning truly comes from, because to many it seems that the producers of excellence have all become opportunists, without taking into account the real production costs in Italy. Thank you for your attention. I hope to have clarified some important things for you.