Piedmont

The cooking of the region of Piedmont is redolent with the tastes of fall with rich sauces and hardy stews that are best enjoyed when the days get cooler and shorter. Delicate and delicious white truffles, however, are the prima donna of this regional cuisine, deserving star treatment when used in any dish. Grown underground close to the roots of oak trees, truffles are hunted and located by specially trained dogs and pigs and sell for exceedingly high prices. In Piedmont, truffles are enjoyed on salads, risottos and in appetizers. White truffles are particularly abundant in the province of Alba, where the annual White Truffle Festival is held. Every Saturday morning from October to December, the Maddalena palace in Alba hosts the truffle market. These white truffles have a distinct, pungent aroma as well as a uniquely delicious taste that many food lovers consider pure culinary bliss.

Although truffles are the most prized ingredient in Piedmontese cooking, there are also many other local dishes that won’t break the bank to enjoy. Rice is a staple ingredient in much Italian cooking and Piedmont produces a robust half of Italy’s production. Rice-based dishes like paniscia and panissa are delicious regional specialties.

The culinary delights of the Langhe area of Piedmont, located just south of the capital city Turin, are worth exploring because of the range of unique dishes you can find there. Two soups worth trying are cisrà (made with chickpeas and vegetables) and tofeja canavesana (made with pork rind and white beans). Bagna cauda, a sauce made with anchovies and garlic, is often served as a dipping sauce for vegetables. And tajarin and agnolotti are typical pastas, the first long and thin, the second stuffed with meat.

If you travel to Piedmont in the fall at the height of truffle season, be sure to try the cheese-based fondua, made with Fontina from nearby Val d' Aosta and precious white truffles. For the traveler fond of meat, there is also plenty to choose from. Bollito misto is a dish of various cuts of beef, veal, and pork cooked in savory broth and served with sauces called bagnet. Rostòn is braised veal made with truffles and the hearty cassola is a stew made with cabbage and meat with goose fat. Salame dâla duja is also a common cold cut and is conserved under a layer of fat for months until it is soft, lightly spicy, and pleasantly fragrant. Lumache all'ossolana are snails stuffed with a savory filling of amaretti and walnuts and should not be overlooked.

An Italian meal would not be complete without an array of wines to choose from and Piedmont is well known for its reds. Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Ghemme, Gattinara, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Freisa, and Brachetto are all divine. Whites, such as Roero Arneis, Erbaluce di Caluso, Cortese, and Gavi are also outstanding, as well as the sparkling wines of Asti.

And for the perfect finish to a typical Piedmontese meal, try some hazelnut-flavored chocolates called gianduiotti from Turin.