Italy has applied for the inclusion of espresso in the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. The government claims that this coffee is "much more than just a drink" for Italians.
Gian Marco Centinaio, deputy minister of agriculture, said that meetings over espresso are a real ritual and express the country's social community.
"It sets us apart from the rest of the world," the minister stressed.
The inclusion of espresso on the UNESCO heritage list, according to Centinaio, will also give the people of Italy a reason to celebrate and celebrate, which is important for a country that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The drink was invented in Turin at the end of the 19th century. The creator is considered an engineer Alberto Moriondo, who later designed and patented an espresso machine. Italians declare that coffee is a great excuse to meet friends, talk, complain, make up or pay back a debt.
In 1998, the Italian Espresso Institute was founded to protect and promote the original drink. Experts estimate that 90% of Italians drink a cup of espresso every day, and the market for coffee production is estimated at more than four billion euros.
The institute stated that brewing the right coffee will require certified coffee powder as well as quality equipment. A good espresso should have a light crema that doesn't settle for about 120 seconds after the coffee is brewed, and the hue ranges from nutty to dark brown.
Centinaio is confident that Italy's National Commission for UNESCO will approve the application, and the result itself is expected in the spring.
In 2017, Italy added Neapolitan pizza to the UNESCO World Heritage List because it considers the dish a symbol of the country.
Intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO is different from the list of world heritage sites - this organization inscribes natural or man-made cultural sites that have historical value. The list already includes yoga, the Belgian beer culture, and in the summer of 2021 France applied for the inclusion of baguette.
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