Italy elevates espresso with UNESCO heritage profile

 Italy elevates espresso with UNESCO heritage profile

Italy is submitting a UNESCO heritage profile for espresso.

A strong, velvety latte is more than just a quick drink. For Italians, espresso is a prized social and cultural ritual, and the country also considers it a national heritage worthy of UNESCO's recognition.

Italians make about 30 million cups of espresso every day. Across the country, from Venice to Sicily, espresso is made in porcelain cups or glasses, with or without milk. Every cup of coffee is a gesture of friendship.

Espresso is a favorite and popular drink of Italians. Photo: AFP

Massimiliano Rosati, owner of Gambrinus cafe in Naples, told AFP: "Espresso is a means of sending word to someone you care about. They enjoy coffee every day, any hour. That's it. a shared moment, a magical moment".

According to the Italian Espresso Institute, a successful cup of coffee is when the espresso must have a "round, rich and velvety" taste and "coffee foam ranging in color from chestnut to dark brown, characterized by brown light".

The Italian Espresso Institute, founded in 1998 to preserve espresso coffee's identity, says coffee should last for a long time with flavors of "floral, fruity, toasted and chocolatey".

Dossier to consider Italy's espresso coffee to become a heritage has been sent by the Ministry of Agriculture of this country to Italy's national UNESCO committee. This committee must submit its submission to UNESCO headquarters in Paris by 31 March.

Italy boasts a wide range of customs and traditions that inhabit the heritage list, from truffle hunting to the art of Neapolitan pizza, a Mediterranean diet or traditional violin crafting in Italy. Cremona, the birthplace of the famous Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari.

Drinking an espresso "is something sacred," said retired teacher Annamaria Conte, 70, as she entered the seaside cafe Gambrinus in Naples.

Some people like to add a custard, mini pizza or doughnut with espresso and chat between meals.

Rosati, the owner of Gambrinus coffee, said: "There is a custom that still exists to this day in some parts of Naples, that when you visit someone, you don't bring cake or flowers, you bring sugar. and coffee."