Abstract
The inclusion of the Mediterranean diet on the prestigious UNESCO list is a prime example of the recognition of a common heritage shared by four countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, namely Italy, Spain, Greece and Morocco. These countries presented the first Mediterranean diet nomination to UNESCO in 2009. The inclusion of the Mediterranean diet on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity internationally acknowledged the close link between agricultural and food traditions. In addition, the inclusion recognised the connection between cultural heritage and social identity, highlighting how the concept of “culture” can no longer only be tied to a material dimension but instead must be enriched by different elements such as traditional agricultural and food lifestyles. Food practices and rural traditions are particular expressions of the cultural and social identity of the Italian people and of the other countries in the Mediterranean basin. In the near future, other agricultural practices and food traditions can aspire to the same recognition as full-fledged cultural representations in the spirit of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Although this chapter is the result of a joint reflection, Sects. 1 and 2 were prepared by Pier Luigi Petrillo and the remaining sections by Giovanni Scepi.
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Notes
- 1.
Source: for PDO products see the DOOR Database of the European Union. For DOC and DOCG wines, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:187:0001:0066:IT:PDF.
- 2.
See the transcript of the hearing held on 9 March 2011 of the Inspector General of the Central Inspectorate for the Protection of the Quality and Fraud Repression of Food Products (Icqrf) at the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the phenomena of counterfeiting and piracy in the field of business. This unicameral parliamentary commission of inquiry, established on 13 July 2010 with Doc XXII n. 12-16-A, began on 2 March 2011 a series of hearings concerning the issue of counterfeiting related to the marketing of food products. The hearing included the Association of Italian Consortia for Geographical Indications, Federalimentare, the Commission for the protection of trademarks and the fight against counterfeiting of Confindustria, Confagricoltura, Coldiretti, the Italian Confederation of Farmers.
- 3.
In addition to actions taken soon after, including international seminars such as “Mondiacult” promoted by Mexico in 1982, the recommendation of the General Conference “on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore”, the 1996 report entitled “Our Creative Diversity” and the proclamation of the first “Masterpieces of Humanity” in 1997, which will be further discussed later.
- 4.
On this point, reference should be made to the chapter of Professor Tullio Scovazzi in this same volume.
- 5.
Decision 5.COM 6.41—Mediterranean Diet. Final decision unanimously adopted on 16 November 2010 by the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention (during its fifth session held in Nairobi, 15–19 November 2010), concerning the inclusion of the Mediterranean diet on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. See the website of the Convention: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00272.
- 6.
Nomination File no. 00394—For inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. Official nomination file of the Mediterranean Diet in English. See: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00335.
- 7.
See Castells Gómez and Alvarez Jaraiz 2006.
- 8.
See Balta 2004.
- 9.
More information about the food pyramid can be seen on the website: http://www.cpsico.com/piramide_alimentare_dieta_mediterranea.htm.
- 10.
- 11.
Nomination file no. 00394—For inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. Nomination file in English of the Mediterranean Diet, see: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00335.
- 12.
Plutarch, Quaestionum convivialium (Convivial dispute, book IX), II, 10.
- 13.
See Montanari 1989, pp VII et seq.
- 14.
- 15.
On the Third International Conference of the International Inter-University Centre for Studies on Mediterranean Food Cultures (CIISCAM) held on 3 November 2009 in Parma. For more information, visit the CIISCAM website: http://www.ciiscam.org/.
- 16.
During the Third International Conference of the International Inter-University Centre for Studies on Mediterranean Food Cultures (CIISCAM), Professor Carlo Cannella, president of the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition (INRAN), emphasised the strategic value of the nomination of the Mediterranean diet as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO and reiterated this belief on several occasions in the course of the ‘International Symposium “Biodiversity and Sustainable Diets”’ held in Rome from 3 to 5 November 2010 at FAO. Professor Cannella stressed the fact that for the first time, the base of the pyramid includes grains, vegetables and fruit, i.e., foods of plant origin. It is also the first time that the Mediterranean diet pyramid is structured with generic foods that form the basis of a main meal, gradually rising to include other foods that complete the meal, distributed according to the frequency of consumption (recommended daily or weekly). The approach described by Cannella is therefore a Mediterranean diet revisited in the light of modernity and prosperity, in consideration of the different cultural and religious traditions and the different national identities. The new pyramid is a macro-structure that can be adapted to the current needs of Mediterranean populations, in compliance with all local variants of the Mediterranean diet. For more information, visit: http://www.ciiscam.org/206/92/news/ecco-la-nuova-piramide-alimentare--della--dieta-mediterranea.html.
- 17.
Ministerial Decree of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and the Minister for Arts and Cultural Affairs of the April 9, 2008, Identification of Italian food products as an expression of Italian cultural heritage.
- 18.
Ministerial Decree, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 18 July 2000. National list of traditional food products.
- 19.
Through the head of the Italian Delegation, Professor Pier Luigi Petrillo, Coordinator of the UNESCO Task Force of the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies.
- 20.
Keys 1980.
- 21.
Article. 2, c. 2 of the UNESCO Convention of 2003 defines the following areas in which the “intangible cultural heritage” is manifested: (a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of intangible cultural heritage, (b) performing arts, (c) social practices, rituals and festive events; (d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and (e) traditional craftsmanship.
- 22.
The procedure for extension to other states of an item already entered into the Representative List is governed by Operational Directive No. 14: “One or more state parties may, with the agreement of each state party concerned, propose inscription on an extended basis of an element already inscribed. The state parties concerned submit together a nomination showing that the element, as extended, satisfies all of the criteria set out in paragraph 1 for the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and paragraph 2 for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Such a request shall be submitted according to the established procedures and deadlines for nominations. In the event that the Committee decides to inscribe the element on the basis of the new nomination file, the new inscription shall replace the original inscription. In the event that the Committee, on the basis of the new nomination file, decides not to inscribe the element, the original inscription shall remain intact”. The procedure has been further specified by the secretariat of the Convention of 2003 and divided into 4 main phases. In Phase I, the state authorities concerned shall inform the authority of the state responsible for the inscription of an element on the list of UNESCO about the willingness to adhere to the element itself, asking the prescribed prior consent. In the case of an international element, the request must be addressed with prior consent of the state coordinator or king of the element. In Phase II the requested state officially proposes its possible expansion of the element for written consent. In the case of an international element, the state coordinator must consult all other states responsible for registering the element on the Representative List. The correspondence between the authorities of the states concerned for phases I and II occurs through the relevant permanent delegations to UNESCO. Phase III, in which the state proposing the preparation of the new nomination file, should include all the information already contained in the dossier on the element already inscribed on the UNESCO List. The new nomination needs a mandatory signature not only by the authorities of the state that is joining the other, but also by those of the original state (or states) promoter (s). On behalf of the latter, the new nomination file can be signed by the relevant permanent delegates to UNESCO. The last phase, IV, consists in a new technical evaluation process already in place for the nominations of the other elements of intangible cultural heritage. If the Committee positively evaluates the new nomination to the list, this one will replace the element and file previously inscribed. Otherwise, the original remains inscribed on the Representative List with no changes.
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Appendix
Appendix
1.1 Sitography
1.2 Documents
Nomination file no. 00394—For inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00335.
Decision 5.COM 6.41—Mediterranean Diet. Final decision concerning the inscription of the Mediterranean diet on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00272 available on the website.
1.3 Legislation
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, ratified by Italy with the Law of 27 September 2007, No. 167.
Operational Directives for the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention during the second session (Paris, 16-19 June 2008) and amended at its third session (Paris, 22–24 June 2010).
Ministerial Decree, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, September 8, 1999, No350, Regulations for the identification of traditional products referred to in Article 8, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 30 April 1998, No 173.
Ministerial Decree, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, July 18, 2000. National list of traditional food products.
Legislative Decree 22 January 2004, No. 42, Code of cultural heritage and landscape, in accordance with Article 10 of Law 6 July 2002, no 137.
Ministerial Decree of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and the Minister for Cultural Heritage of 9 April 2008, Identification of Italian food products as an expression of Italian cultural heritage.
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Scepi, G., Petrillo, P.L. (2015). The Cultural Dimension of the Mediterranean Diet as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In: Golinelli, G. (eds) Cultural Heritage and Value Creation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08527-2_6
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