Piemonte Food

Italy has a rich food heritage. While pizza and pasta of many types are always available, there’s much more than just that! Here are a few dishes from Piemonte that are typical of the region.

Antipasti – Appetisers

CAPONET
Caponet is a Piedmontese specialty made of leaves of Savoy cabbage stuffed with meat and baked or browned in a pan.

CARNE CRUDA BATTUTA AL COLTELLO
Piemonte beef finely hand cut with a knife and not minced, so that the juices of the meat are not lost and the meat remains firm. It is dressed with salt, olive oil and lemon juice.

ACCIUGHE AL VERDE
Anchovies in green sauce are a typical starter of the Piedmontese cuisine, where anchovies are served with a strong sauce (bagnet) made of parsley, garlic, pepper, olive oil and breadcrumbs soaked in the vinegar.

Primi Piatti – First Courses

GNOCCHI ALLA BAVA
Potato gnocchi seasoned with the savory taste of “toma”, a local cheese creating a foam when melted.

AGNOLOTTI DI CARNE
Agnolotti is a type of pasta, typical of the Piemonte region, made with small squared pieces of flattened pasta dough, folded over a filling of roasted meat; this is what makes agnolotti different from many other varieties of stuffed pasta.

RISOTTO AL CAREMA
Just few minutes before the risotto is ready, a red wine DOC called Carema is added. The name of this wine comes from the place where it is produced, in the Canavese area.

Secondi Piatti – Second Courses

BAGNA CAUDA
Literally means a hot sauce made of garlic, anchovies and olive oil. Garlic is the most important ingredient of the bagna cauda. The bagna cauda is served with vegetables to be dipped in the sauce.

GRAN BOLLITO MISTO
A dish of mixed boiled meats that is made of cuts of meat and comes with different kind of sauces such as a green sauce (with anchovies and parsley), a red sauce (red peppers and tomatoes) and a “cren” sauce (horseradish).

Dolci – Desserts

BONET
The bonet is a pudding typical of Piemonte made with eggs, sugar, milk, cocoa, liquor (typically rum) and dry “amaretti”. In Piedmontese dialect the bonet is a round hat, whose shape often reminds that of the mold where the pudding is cooked.

PANNACOTTA
Panna cotta (cooked cream) is a dessert of cream, milk and sugar thickened with gelatin and moulded; the cream may have with coffee, vanilla or other flavourings.

PESCHE RIPIENE ALUAMARETTO
A summer dessert that encases, in both halves of the peach, a stuffing of “amaretti” and chocolate.

TORTA GIANDUJA
The blend between chocolate and hazelnuts produces the Gianduja cream and in this case the “Giandujacake”.

ZABAIONE
The zabaione is a cream prepared with egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine. It is then cooked in a bain-marie until it becomes thick and foamy. It is typically served with biscuits, fresh fruit or whipped cream.