Italian Cuisine Named UNESCO Heritage, and It’s Always Been More Than Just Food
Italian cuisine has just added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. But for me, it’s never just been about recipes or famous dishes. Italian food is about so much more than what’s on the plate. It’s about how we come together, how we live, and how we look after each other.
This recognition is really about the small, everyday rituals: shaping dough on a wooden table, letting Sunday sauce bubble on the stove, voices mixing in the kitchen, kids sneaking a taste before dinner, and glasses clinking in a simple toast. It’s a reminder that food, before anything else, is something we share.
In Italy, cooking is how we show love, how we care for each other, and how we feel at home. Meals aren’t rushed. They’re made slowly, shared, repeated, and passed down. With every recipe, we pass on patience, respect for ingredients, the rhythm of the seasons, hospitality, and a sense of togetherness.
At Rezdôra, this recognition feels close to home. The Rezdôra isn’t just a cook. She’s the heart of the house, setting the rhythm and gently bringing everyone to the table. This is what inspired me to start Rezdôra: wanting to share this way of living in today’s homes, across borders and generations. With Rezdôra, I want to bring back not just Italian dishes, but Italian moments: shared tables, slow cooking, small rituals, and the beauty of everyday care. Whether it’s a cooking class, a private meal, or a visit at home, the goal is always the same: to make space for connection, warmth, and real nourishment.
This UNESCO recognition simply puts into words what Italian families have always known: the table is where life happens. Now, more than ever, Rezdôra is a bridge between tradition and the way we live today.
This same spirit is also part of my YouTube channel, where I document real Italian home cooking and the women who keep these traditions alive. In each episode, I cook with Rezdôre from Emilia-Romagna — women whose everyday skills, practical knowledge, and lived experience have shaped family kitchens for generations. The videos focus on simple, weekday cooking: accessible dishes prepared in under an hour, without pretence, and rooted in real domestic life. It is my way of recording their stories, techniques, and habits, and preserving a culinary heritage that is cultural as much as it is practical.
In a world that moves quickly and eats even faster, this honour is a gentle reminder to slow down, cook with care, sit together, and remember that nourishment is more than just food. It’s physical, emotional, social, and cultural.
Now, Italian cuisine is officially recognised as heritage. But really, it’s always been something more: a way of living.
This is the spirit behind Rezdôra.