Advocates claim that espresso, made in traditional coffee machines in bars and cafes across the country, is not only a distinctive brew but an essential part of the Italian culture.
“We know very well how important coffee is to Italians, to Italians living abroad and to people around the world who have learned to appreciate something that is also a ritual and an occasion for encounter,” Maria Chiara Gadda, a lawmaker with Italia Viva, said at the launch of the coffee campaign in Rome on Tuesday.
The bid to have Italian espresso inscribed onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list is being promoted by the Consortium for the Safeguarding of Traditional Italian Espresso Coffee.
“It’s the only coffee in the world that has a cream,” Giorgio Caballini di Sassoferrato, the consortium’s founder and president, said.
According to the consortium, espresso cream “must be uniform and persistent for at least 120 seconds from the time the coffee has been dispensed without stirring”.
The regulations also state is must be “consistent, a dark hazel colour, with light streaks”.
A traditional espresso must also be made using a bar coffee machine, by a trained barista, using freshly-ground coffee that’s brewed for 20 to 27 seconds.
The rules even outline the type of cup (porcelain with a narrow bottom), amount of coffee in the cup (between 13 and 26 grams) and its temperature, (between 90˚C and 96˚C).
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list officially recognises more than 500 customs, carnivals, ceremonies and traditions from around the globe includingBottom of Form bobbin lace-making in Slovenia, brewing in Belgium, traditional hand puppetry from Egypt and Jamaica’s reggae music.
In 2017, the art of Neapolitan pizza-making was added to the list.
Italy’s latest candidacy now has a series of UNESCO loops and committees to jump through before a decision is taken, possibly next year.
