Italy plans to apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization status for special heritage status for espresso coffee, citing the method in which is made makes it "much more than a simple drink."
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According to French news agency AFP, Rome's Agriculture Ministry has appealed to the National Commission of UNESCO on the matter last year as well but was declined.
The Local cited Deputy Agricultural Minister Gian Marco Centinaio as saying, "In Italy, coffee is much more than a simple drink: it is an authentic ritual, it is an integral part of our national identity and an expression of our social relationships that distinguishes us around the world.
"For Italians, the cup of espresso represents for all a social and cultural ritual that is also reflected in literature and that fascinates the whole country, from Naples to Venice to Trieste passing through Rome and Milan."
The difference between espresso and coffee has to do with the way it is prepared – not the beans themselves.
Citing data by the Italian Espresso Institute, which was founded in 1998, EuroNews noted that Italians drink upward of 30 million espressos daily.
The institute, founded with the specific goal of safeguarding and promoting the original espresso, says its marker is worth over €4 billion ($4.5 billion) a year.
The institute lists strict regulations for brewing the perfect espresso, which includes the use of a certified coffee blend, certified equipment and even licensed personnel.
It specifies that the crema, the froth on top of the brew, "must be uniform and persistent for at least 120 seconds from the time the coffee has been dispensed without stirring," and ever specifies that the color should be "hazel-brown to dark brown [and] characterized by tawny reflexes."
According to Food&Wine magazine, UNESCO has already named over a dozen Italian cultural practices to its "Intangible Heritage of Humanity" list, including the art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo, Sicilian puppet theater, the Mediterranean diet, and truffle hunting.
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