Italian Food Culture, a Heritage of Humanity: Educating Mediterranean Values at School
In Italy, food is never just nourishment. It is culture, identity, tradition and care.
In recent years, Italian food culture has attracted growing international attention, with UNESCO recognising key elements such as the Mediterranean Diet and certain traditional culinary practices as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. This recognition highlights the value of food not only as a daily habit, but also as an educational tool capable of conveying respect, balance and wellbeing.
At our school, we firmly believe that culture, health and respect are values to be experienced from an early age. For this reason, the school canteen is not simply a service, but an integral part of our educational philosophy.
Food as a Cultural Experience
Italian food culture is deeply rooted in seasonality, local ingredients and sharing. Mealtimes are moments dedicated to relationships, listening and quality — not only the quality of food, but also the quality of time spent together. These are the same principles we aim to pass on to our students, helping them develop awareness, responsibility and respect for the environment around them.
Food as Education
Teaching children how to eat well means teaching them how to take care of themselves and others. Through balanced menus, a variety of foods and simple, natural ingredients, students learn that healthy choices are not a limitation, but an opportunity: a way to grow in a healthy manner, feel good and build habits that will stay with them over time.
Our School Canteen: Quality, Care and Responsibility
At our school, meals are prepared on site every day, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Nothing is transported from external kitchens: food is cooked, experienced and shared within each school community.
Our menus prioritise vegetables, fruit and legumes, in line with Mediterranean traditions and proper nutritional balance, while also taking into account different dietary and cultural needs. Behind every meal are the skilled hands of our cooks, whose daily work transforms ingredients into an experience of care, attention and learning.
Learning Values at the Table
By placing food at the heart of school life, we aim to convey to our students the idea that eating is also an act of respect — for their own health, for others and for the world around them. The school canteen thus becomes a fully educational space, where values are not only taught, but lived every day.
Because educating means caring for the whole person — and this journey continues every day, even at the table.
Learn more about our school philosophy and how wellbeing and education come together in everyday school life.
🌐 www.acorninternationalschool.eu
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