Who has already taken a legitimate Italian espresso will confirm: the drink is indeed a heritage of humanity.
With or without sugar, shorter or longer, the habit of drinking an espresso was a revolutionary social invention at the end of the 19th century.
Now, the Italian government will once again submit an application for espresso coffee to be considered an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
The Secretary of State for Agriculture, Gian Marco Centinaio argued in a statement that espresso coffee is “much more than a simple drink” and is part of the italian gastronomic history.
It is not the first time that espresso coffee, which was popularized by Italians, has participated in a candidacy. In 2017 he lost the contest for Neapolitan pizza, which is now on the United Nations agency's list of intangible heritage.
For Centinaio, espresso is “an authentic ritual and an expression of our society that distinguishes us from the world”.
Applications can be submitted until the end of March, but the Italian government has already moved forward and has already put espresso coffee on UNESCO's list of considerations.
According to Italian Coffee Institute, the espresso market is worth 4 billion euros in Italy and more than 90% of Italians drink at least one coffee a day.
Espresso was invented in Turin, at northern Italy, at the end of the 19th century. With or without sugar, coffee was a mere drink, but the creation of the espresso format, taken in a small porcelain cup, turned the act into a social occasion, which remains.
The Italian Institute even has in its guidelines the ideal time for the foam to top the espresso, thickness, temperature and color – which is eloquently described as “from hazelnut brown to dark black and characterized by brown highlights”.
