A cup of espresso recognized as Italian heritage by UNESCO? Si!

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Did you know that the Italian government has applied for traditional Italian espresso coffee to be added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list?

Back in 2014, Turkish coffee was added to this list, so Giorgio Caballini, the president of the board of directors for Dersut coffee roasters in the northern Italian city of Treviso, thought it was a good idea to have Italian espresso coffee recognized by UNESCO as well. Caballini admitted that Turkish coffee has a thousand-year-old history while the Italian espresso is only about one century old, but he did noted that in order to be recognized by UNESCO, a product only needs to be 30 years old! He therefore founded, in September 2014, the Consorzio per la tutela del Caffè espresso italiano tradizionale (Consortium for the Protection of Traditional Italian Espresso Coffee) with the mission of preserving its “originality and peculiarity.”

Last month, the consortium celebrated the first “World Coffee Day” and, at the same time, announced the birth of the “Community for the Rite of Espresso Coffee,” an initiative aimed at encouraging people to sign a petition on the www.ritodelcaffe.it web site and with creating an e-book of photos, poems, drawings or compositions linked to the “everyday ritual of drinking espresso.”

This campaign, which was presented last year in the Rome’s Parliament, hopes to advance the candidacy of espresso coffee for the prestigious UNESCO list, highlighting that this popular drink is “an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage.” The initiative was also recently backed up by the Italo-Latin American Institute of Roma (IILA).

Caballini also told media about the secrets of the perfect Italian coffee, which is unique because of its specific requirements. He explained that, first and foremost, coffee beans must be ground when each cup is prepared, otherwise one couldn’t enjoy its freshness, aroma, taste, and aftertaste. “It should be made with 7 to 9 grams of coffee and the extraction should take between 20 and 27 seconds; the aroma must be intense and full-bodied. If you feel like you have to add a lot of sugar, then your espresso has not been prepared correctly,” Caballini added.

As for serving coffee, Caballini pointed out that an ideal “tazzina di caffè,” or coffee cup, should be made of porcelain with a narrow bottom, and he recommended that the amount of coffee in the cup should be between 13 and 26 grams. In addition, its temperature should be between 194 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

In regards to the most important feature of the Italian coffee, Caballini is quoted as saying the foam “must be uniform and evident for at least 120 seconds from the moment the coffee is dispensed without stirring.” It must also be “consistent, dark hazelnut, with light stripes.”

As expected, such an initiative launched by a coffeeproduction company in the north of Italy sparked a firm reaction by another Italian city where coffee is king. And yes, I’m talking about Naples, which, thanks to 2 million Italians who signed the #pizzaUnesco petition, obtained a spot on that coveted UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list for “The art of Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo” in 2017.

So, in July, Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca also submitted to UNESCO an application that is expected to compete with the one from the Consortium for the Protection of Traditional Italian Espresso Coffee.

According to media, Caballini said that Neapolitans did not want to join forces with him, so they decided to independently submit their own candidacy to UNESCO after the Consortium did.

De Luca told media that coffee in Italy is more than just a drink and noted that “it expresses a true culture, an entirely Neapolitan ritual that has given birth to traditions spread everywhere, such as that of the caffè sospeso, which evokes a sense of hospitality, solidarity and conviviality”. A caffè sospeso, or pending coffee, is indeed an act of kindness which consists of paying a second cup of coffee

in advance (after consuming your own one) so that a needy person would get one for free. “It’s like offering coffee for the rest of the world,” as Neapolitan writer Luciano De Crescenzo once said.

Did you know that there are several ways of ordering your Italian espresso? The basic ones are: short shot or “ristretto;” regular shot (just say “un caffè per favore” and you get the regular one); long shot or “lungo;” “macchiato” or “schiumato” (with drops of milk or milk foam); “corretto” with liquor added; and “decaffeinato” or decaf.

Espresso can be ordered any time of the day, but remember that cappuccino is only for breakfast! Never order it after a meal, or you will get a strange look on the bartender’s face.

As reported by Italianfood.net, Italian coffee, which ranks third in the world as for exports, continues to be more and more appreciated by American consumers. U.S. imports from Italy have been constantly increasing for the last four years. The Italian Espresso Institute pointed out that coffee industry generates profits worth around five billion euros and employs over 10,000 people in Italy.

Italy has launched a bid for espresso coffee to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Italian espresso is indeed part of the country’s culture and its blends are appreciated by consumers across the world. (Photo by https://www.italianmade.com)