Naples' pizza twirling wins Unesco ‘intangible’ status
Traditional art of pizzaiuolo, handed down for generations in southern Italian city, secures coveted world heritage honour.
The Neapolitan art of pizza twirling has joined Unesco’s list of “intangible heritage”, securing the coveted status alongside a Saudi art form traditionally practised only by women.
The art of pizzaiuolo – which has been handed down for generations in Naples, southern Italy – was approved by the UN cultural body’s world heritage committee, which met on the South Korean island of Jeju.
Approximately 2 million people had signed a petition to support Naples’ application, according to Sergio Miccu, head of the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli – no doubt buoyed by his offer of complimentary pizza if the culinary tradition joined the prestigious list. “We’ll be giving out free pizza in the streets,” Miccu promised.
The custom goes far beyond the pizzaiuolo’s spectacular handling of the dough – hurling it into the air to “oxygenate” it – to include songs and stories that have turned pizza-making into a social ritual.
“Victory!” tweeted Italy’s minister for agriculture, food and forestry, Maurizio Martina. “Another step towards the protection of Italy’s food and wine heritage.”
Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, a former agriculture minister who attended the proceedings in Jeju, said in a video posted on Twitter: “Long live the art of Neapolitan pizzaiuolo!”
Thirty-four candidates had sought to join the intangible heritage list, created in 2003 mainly to raise awareness, although Unesco also sometimes offers financial or technical support to countries struggling to protect their traditions.
The list includes more than 350 traditions, art forms and practices from Spain’s flamenco dancing to Indonesian batik fabrics, to more obscure entries such as a Turkish oil-wrestling festival and a Mongolian coaxing ritual for camels.
Saudi Arabia was among those celebrating on Jeju, after being recognised for Al-Qatt Al-Asin – elaborate interior wall paintings traditionally created by women. The art form, which promotes female solidarity, is handed down through observation.
Another winner was the traditional horseback game of Kok Boru in Kyrgyzstan, where players score points by putting a goat’s carcass in an opponent’s goal – though in recent times players have been replacing the dead animal with a mould.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...angible-status
