Italian campaigners seek UNESCO heritage status for espresso coffee

A campaign seeking UNESCO World Heritage status for Italy’s famous espresso coffee was presented in the Italian parliament on Tuesday. Espresso-making and -drinking should be added to the United Nations culture agency’s list of “intangible” world heritage traditions,campaigners said after a press conference with several lawmakers. Italy’s espresso is “not just an indispensable drink for a good start of the day, it is a real social ritual,” the Consortium for the Protection of the Traditional Italian Espresso said in a statement. The UNESCO list already includes some Italian culinary delights, such as traditional pizza-making as practiced in Naples, which won UN recognition in 2017. Espresso campaigners still need the support of the Italian government to formally present their bid to UNESCO, which will then have to assess it. — DPA