Piedmont, Italy: A Divine Place Of Culinary Pleasures

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

In northwestern Italy, the Alps surround the Piedmont region on three sides and form an incredibly beautiful area. To the west, Piedmont borders France, to the north Switzerland, to the east Lombardy, to the south Liguria, and to the southeast Emilia Romagna, to the northwest Val d'Aosta. In the central part of Piedmont is the valley of the river Po, which springs from the Alps to the west and flows into the Adriatic Sea south of Venice.

The soil in Piedmont is rich in minerals, the climate is favorable. Turin, which is the capital of the region, and its cuisine occupy a separate place. Turin has a historical and culinary connection with France. Due to the difficult and difficult way of life, exceptional foods such as local cheese and wine have appeared in the mountainous areas of Piedmont.

The development of wine production in Piedmont is associated with the period of unification of Italy in the middle of the XIX century. The Lange region produces two of the best red wines - Baroselca and Barbaresco, which are named after villages in the area.

The rich harvests of grain and wheat also find a place in the Piedmont cuisine. A typical dish that Italians associate with home comfort is polenta. It can be served with game, gorgonzola, cod, stewed mushrooms and even snails. Serve directly on wooden boards.

As you might guess, pasta is highly revered in Piedmont. The most common in Piedmont are thalers, which are similar to tagliatelle but thinner. The thalers are always cut by hand. They are usually served with grated white truffles or meat sauce.

In Turin’s refined cuisine, fine dishes are based on rice. A very famous local risotto is panishpa - it is prepared with a variety of white beans, butter and sausage, which is stored in fat. Meat and fish are also important in Piedmont cuisine. Most pigs are raised in the area and different types of salami and sausages are prepared from them.

Beef is the most common in the local cuisine, but some dishes that are emblematic of the area are made from beef. The brazato dish, for example, is large pieces of meat stewed for several hours in Barolo wine.

In another famous dish called bolito misto, beef head, ham, tail and tongue are cooked with pork sausage, chicken or rooster. As the amount of meat is impressive, the dish is usually prepared for the holidays. Serve with green sauce made from anchovies, hard-boiled egg yolks, parsley, garlic, capers and all this drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

This dish can also be served with red sauce, which is prepared from carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, wine vinegar and sugar.

In Piedmont cuisine, the most commonly used fish is anchovies. The other popular fish is salted cod. If you really want to try the authentic Piedmontese cuisine, you have to leave it to your senses and trust the local chefs.

In Piedmont you will enjoy rich dishes with garlic, which are prepared more often with butter than with olive oil. Every meal in the area starts with antipasti.