In Tokyo, Italian cuisine becomes culture and identity - News from Embassies

Italian cuisine is not just food: it is culture, identity, tradition and a bridge between peoples. This was strongly reiterated by the Italian community in Tokyo during a special evening organized by the Italian Embassy, at which the local delegation of the Italian Academy of Cuisine celebrated the recent UNESCO recognition of the national food and wine heritage and presented its prestigious annual awards.


“A success that is the result of a great team effort at the national level,” said the Italian Ambassador to Tokyo, Gianluigi Benedetti, addressing the audience composed of institutional representatives, chefs, journalists and industry enthusiasts. “This award belongs first and foremost to our cooks, chefs and industry professionals who are capable of elevating food and wine heritage to an art form. This recognition honors who we are because Italian cuisine, is not just food, but culture, tradition, work and identity.”
In this framework, the Academy wanted to highlight figures and realities that stand out for their commitment to the protection and dissemination of Italian gastronomy abroad. The Giovanni Nuvoletti Prize was awarded to journalist Shizuka Kataoka, for her rigorous work in deepening and popularizing Italian traditions. The Diploma di Buona Cucina went to Antica Osteria del Ponte, a historic point of reference for Italian cuisine in Tokyo, while the Massimo Alberini Award was given to Nino Caffè, a symbolic place of tricolor conviviality in the Japanese capital. “These awards, taken together, testify to how the protection of our gastronomic heritage passes through the daily commitment of different people and realities, united by a sense of shared responsibility towards an asset that belongs to everyone. And based on this principle we are all called to put ourselves at the service of this heritage,” stressed Emanuela Orighi, Delegate of the Italian Academy of Cuisine in Tokyo.


Ambassador Benedetti also recalled the economic value of Made in Italy at the table: “Our cuisine is also a formidable economic driver,” he said, “and in this context the Unesco seal enhances the distinctive value of Made in Italy, providing a decisive boost to our imports and to the prestige of Italy’s image in the world.


Rounding out the evening was the presentation of the digital book “The Menus of the Italian Embassy in Tokyo 2021-2026,” a project conceived by Food and Agriculture Policy Attaché Anna Iele, developed by Ambassador Sabina D’Antonio together with Emanuela Orighi, and produced by the Tokyo Delegation. It is an enjoyable and insightful volume that goes far beyond the simple listing of dishes: it tells how the menu, in the diplomatic sphere, can turn into a tool of welcome, cultural narrative and dialogue between civilizations, capable of expressing Italian identity and building a shared language between different countries.