Iconic Food & Wine

Forget for a moment all diets and calorie restrictions and start dreaming on our food delicacies  following me in an Imaginary tour of the Palate.     

Let’s start  with a  traditional aperitif: do you know that  the Vermouth, best known as Cinzano & Martini, born in Turin  in late 1700’s?  I love it  on ice, to cool off and  prepare the  palate for cooking and eating. 

It follows a great variety of antipasti, an extraordinary rich tradition of our area, both raw and coked and meet, fish, egg and cheese based. Most common are: vitello tonnato, carne cruda, peperoni con bagna cauda perfect with a Dolcetto wine.

Aftet this your palate is  ready to appreciate our hand-made pasta, tajarin or agnolotti del plin at your preference. They are  made with 30 yolks per kilo of flour! As alternative you can try Risotto al Nebbiolo wine or  Gnocchi dressed with cheeses. Here I suggest you a traditional Barbera wine. Do not forget that in autumn the famous Alba white truffles are shaved over plin, tajarin, carne cruda and egg dishes for an unforgettable experience.

Here we are at the main courses, ideal for enjoying more structured wines as Nebbiolo, Barbaresco and Barolo. The list  may include the great mixed fry, big boiled meats, braised beef in Barolo wine, civet of hare, rabbit with Sweet Red Peppers  or roast sliced pork served with hazelnuts sauce  as well as rare delicacies such as snails ( escargots)

The art of cheese-making is something of an institution in Piedmont and local cheeses are absolutely not to be missed!
Try at least the “faboulous four”: the Toma, the Robiola, Raschera and Castelmagno. I love mature cheeses paired to Moscato Passito: have you ever tried?

There is still some space for dessert? I hope so... The selection of desserts is small but special and it  would be a pity not to taste the Hazelnut cake, the bunet, the  panna cotta, the semifreddo al Torrone D’Alba topped with glacè chestnuts. Here no doubt: the Moscato wine  is perfect.    

Well, are you still alive? Now  you can finally ask  for   “Un espresso per favore”. Coffee it’s a pleasure that delights Piedmontese people everyday, suffice it to say that important coffee industries such as Lavazza and Vergnano are based in Piedmont.

You are probably thinking of beeing at the end of our culinary tour but you’re wrong as we forgot our Chocolate.  You are in the lands  producing the Nutella, Gianduja cream and Cuneesi al Rum (rum truffles) which Hemingway very much enjoyed when he stayed here in 1954. End sipping  slowly Barolo Chinato wine paired to a bar of our dark chocolate!