A Slice Above the Rest? Pizza Could Earn UNESCO World Heritage Status

People all around the world love pizza. But the dish has special significance for Italians: It's widely believed that a 19th-century Naples man named Raffaele Esposito invented the modern iteration of the sliced pie. To celebrate this culinary legacy, Food & Wine reports that more than two million Italians have petitioned for pizza to be given UNESCO World Heritage status.

Launched in 2006, UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list recognizes traditional practices and activities around the world—including music, food, and dance—that shape national identity. Delicious additions have included Turkish coffee, Croatian gingerbread, Japanese washoku, the Mediterranean diet, and the cuisines of Mexico and France. Not just any food can be added to the list, however: UNESCO honors (and aims to preserve) only traditional cooking methods that were pioneered by a single nation.

Pizza makers in Naples argue that their wares fit the bill, as Neapolitan pizza was born in their home city. As The Telegraph reports, they also hope that a special UNESCO designation will protect pizza from "food piracy and appropriation." This offense includes using non-Italian ingredients and unorthodox toppings and sauces. (Pineapple, anyone?)

UNESCO's committee on cultural heritage meets in Seoul, South Korea, in early December. There, they will decide whether Neapolitan pizza deserves a spot on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list—and maybe even enjoy a slice or two themselves.