Finally: Neopolitan Pizza Could Become a UNESCO-Recognized Treasure

Soon, eating pizza in Naples may not just be a spiritual communion between mind, tongue, and stomach—it could also be a profoundly cosmopolitan act. Last week, the Italian National Commission for the U.N.’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to promote Neapolitan pizza as a candidate for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Cultural practices, items, and, yes, foods on the list are slated for careful and coordinated protection by UNESCO’s member states, with help from a fund dedicated to the cause.

Why pizza, and why now? “[T]he art of the Neapolitan pizza maker...represents Italy in the world,” the Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture said in the proposal, the Local reports. It helps that the traditional pizza napoletana margherita is the colors of Italy: green, white and red.