Piedmont, an extraordinary produce workshop, all to be tasted. And to drink
3 minutes
If you know French, you will have a better understanding of Piedmontese cuisine, which has been influenced for centuries by our transalpine cousins and the neighbouring Ligurians, who were both travellers and traders.
Begin your gastronomic journey with agnolotti and their variations, stuffed depending on the area. Also try pumpkin gnocchi and Tajarin, thin noodles that are bright yellow due to the addition of several egg yolks. Then move on to bagna cauda, made with anchovies, oil and garlic, to dip vegetables such as peppers, cabbage or Nizza Monferrato hunchback cardoon.
You must have a taste of fritto misto with liver, sweetbreads, braised veal rump, amaretti biscuits, a bite of braised beef with Barolo or Gattinara and another of boiled meat with Bagnet verd (a mixture of parsley, garlic, salted anchovies, stale bread, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil).
While crunching on a breadstick, created here, try the Toma and Castelmagno cheeses, as well as donkey salami and Bra Sausage. While you're at it, enjoy some of the dishes enhanced by the Alba White Truffle, one of the most prized, and expensive, products of national gastronomy.
Are you now ready for a cascade of sweets? First up are gianduiotti, originally invented in the mid-19th century, made with cocoa, sugar and Piedmont hazelnuts; followed by baci di dama (lady's kisses); Krumiri di Casale Monferrato, whose shape recalls a royal moustache, those of Victor Emmanuel II, whose death corresponded with their birth in 1878; lingue di gatto, invented in Paris in the 1920s; Bonet, a spoon dessert typical of the Langhe. And then the Nocciolini di Chivasso, the paste di Meliga, the Tronchetto di Natale, the focaccia di Susa, the amaretti.
As for the wines produced in the Langhe, Roero, Astigiano, Monferrato, Colli Novaresi and Canavese, you need a Treccani. We recommend the four most famous reds, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barolo and Barbaresco.
In the Monferrato, among the hills of Asti
We bring you along a route of important wines, such as Moscato, Grignolino, Barbera, Malvasia, Freisa and other delicious specialities.
Accompanying you are the Grissia monferrina, a hard bread, once eaten spiced with garlic, and the mostarda d'uva (grape mustard) that accompanies meat dishes, prepared with cooked grape must (from Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Moscato) mixed with seasonal fruit.
In Cocconato, known as the Riviera del Monferrato because of its microclimate, enjoy Robiola cheese with a glass of Barbera. In 12 kilometres you are in Albugnano, in the lower Monferrato, which has an excellent wine to match its name, paired with bagna cauda, which is prepared here with wild chilli pepper instead of garlic.
Stop at Castelnuovo Don Bosco to taste Malvasia, a famous dessert wine that enhances the flavour of Finocchini, local biscuits that take their name from the fennel seeds in the dough. Now move south and in 7 kilometres you are in Capriglio, land of the Peperone (pepper), suitable for pickling in vinegar and under raspa (marc).
You then arrive in Asti, the provincial capital, birthplace of great wines such as Moscato d'Asti and Asti, best enjoyed with some typical desserts such as Torta del Palio, covered with melted dark chocolate. In the nearby countryside you will find quality products such as Astigiane Onions and the prized Peperone Quadrato d'Asti (squared pepper from Asti).
End your tour in Castagnole Monferrato, home of Ruchè, a noble wine to pair with medium-aged cheeses such as Robiola d'Alba.
Typical dishes
Agnolotti del plin
Seize the aroma of popular Piedmontese cuisine with this pasta that has its origins in the farming tradition where it was customary to use leftovers, in particular meat and roast meats, for the filling. Agnolotto del plin, typical of the Langhe, is smaller than in Turin and also contains vegetables. Plin means 'pizzicotto', the technique used by housewives to fold up the flaps of dough. They are excellent served with meat sauce, but there are also plain versions, served with butter and sage.
Braised beef with Gattinara
A typical dish derived from "brasi" (braised meat in dialect), slow-cooked over a long period of time with spices, vegetables and red wine. Its special feature is the addition of aged Gattinara wine.
