AMNA NAWAZ: Yesterday, Italian cuisine gained# a new honor, becoming the first gastronomic## style to be recognized as intangible cultural# heritage by UNESCO, the U.N.

's cultural body.

But, as Deema Zein, American cooks# face a new potential tariff that may## double the cost of an essential part# of that cuisine, pasta from Italy.

DEEMA ZEIN: For Diana Calcagno, pasta# is part of her family's history.## She manages Vace, an Italian# grocer and deli in Washington,## D.C., and nearby Bethesda, Maryland, which# her parents founded almost 50 years ago.

DIANA CALCAGNO, Manager, Vace: It's a# lot of connection with our customers.## It's generation after generation, so their# fathers, and then they brought their children,## and then now they bring their# children for pasta and pizza night.

DEEMA ZEIN: But one of the store's staples,# pasta from Italy, may soon be under threat.

DIANA CALCAGNO: In spaghetti, bucatini.# Then I also ordered orecchiette.

DEEMA ZEIN: Forcing her to# stock up on what she can.

DIANA CALCAGNO: Some customers have asked us, oh,## are you going to still be carrying some pastas?# And we just kind of started sn.. writing down a bunch of things and trying to# figure out how we were going to handle it.

DEEMA ZEIN: Vace is one of many businesses# across the country making preparations## after a recent announcement from# the U.S.

Department of Commerce.

As early as January, pasta from 13 major Italian# producers will face a 92 percent tariff on top## of the existing 15 percent tariff on all goods# from Europe.

That's nearly 107 percent in all.

DIANA CALCAGNO: It's giving me goose bumps# thinking about that right now.

Like, when## I found out that -- that amount, it really did# hit a little bit, because I was just like, man,## it was uncertain being -- not knowing if people# were willing to pay it and.

We're still uncertain.

DEEMA ZEIN: For customers,## the news was pasta-tively frustrating# after years .. WOMAN: I don't know, it# just doesn't seem very fair.

MAN: Not to be able to buy# pasta is really terrible,## because pasta is a very primary# food that everybody should access.

CHIARA DONEGANI, Aston University: Pasta# is not a strategic product.

Pasta is## a basic product.

It's the iconic# symbol of the Mediterranean diet.

DEEMA ZEIN: Chiara Donegani is a researcher# and professor at Aston University in the## U.K.

She co-authored an article about# what she dubs "The Great Pasta War."

While the U.S.

government alleges that the# coming tariffs are in response to Italian## pasta makers dumping their product at# unfair prices in the American market,## Donegani has not found# evidence of that in the data.

CHIARA DONEGANI: The Italian pasta sold# to the U.S., it is usually priced higher,## not lower.

And the second indicator is the market# share, and Italian companies' market share are## broadly stable over that period, with no sign# of predatory pricing to squeeze out competitors.

DEEMA ZEIN: For Italian pasta makers,# the tariff could be a fatal blow,## especially for small and medium size producers.

Margherita Mastromauro is president of the## pasta makers sector of Unione# Italiana Food, a trade group.

MARGHERITA MASTROMAURO, Unione Italiana# Food (through translator): The United## states imports approxima.. worth around $700 million.

The duty would# essentially mean a halt to imports of this## pasta into the American market, because,# obviously, it would mean that the price## of pasta would more than double, making it# completely unprofitable and uncompetitive.

DEEMA ZEIN: Academic Donegani,# who is originally from Italy,## sees the tariffs as not about economic fairness.

CHIARA DONEGANI: It exerts political pressure# and basically it signals that no sector is safe.

DEEMA ZEIN: The tariffs are preliminary and# will be finalized by the 2nd of January.## While pasta from Italy only makes up# about 12 percent of the U.S.

market,## some grocers here are already seeing the impacts.

MAX EVANS, Owner, A. Litteri: Saturday was# the first day ever that reminded me of the## pandemic.

It was the same thing where I# just -- I looked at the shelves halfway## through the day and I could not believe# how much we had sold of just pasta.

DEEMA ZEIN: Max Evans owns A. Litteri, a small# Italian grocer in Northeast Washington, D.C.,## he's ordering more supply to keep up with customer# demand and he says not all pasta is created equal.

MAX EVANS: Italian pasta, it's like Italian# wine.

It's specific to the region where it's## produced.

There's such a vast array.# I mean, I don't think you're going to## find that from American producers in# the kind of numbers and availability.

DEEMA ZEIN: Ultimately, it's# his customers that will have## to fork out to keep Italian pasta on their plates.

MAN: Italian pasta, particularly Italian# pasta here, is the best in the city.## And the fact that it's getting tariffed that# much, A, is going to disincentivize people## from coming.

But then, B, it's just like, why are# we doing nonsense?

Like, so it's just ridiculous.

DEEMA ZEIN: Back in Maryland, Diana Calcagno says,# even though the tariffs haven't kicked in yet,## her suppliers are already raising prices,# which she worries will keep customers away.

DIANA CALCAGNO: People are not splurging as much# on, let's say, a $25 bottle of wine.

Instead,## they will focus on just the main meal.

I have had# some customers complain about pricing already.## And I'm a little scared of what it's going to# be like when the other stuff starts going up.

DEEMA ZEIN: For now, she's hoping that there# may still be a reprieve in the coming tariffs.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Deema Zein.