Eating Well in Piedmont & Valle d'Aosta

Eating Well in Piedmont & Valle d'Aosta

In Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta you will find rustic specialties from farmhouse hearths, fine cuisine with a French accent -- and everything in between. The area's best-known dish is probably polenta, creamy cornmeal served with carbonada (veal stew), melted cheese, or wild mushrooms. Also at the top of the favorites list are agnolotti dal plin, crescent-shap stuffed pasta, served with the pan juices of roast veal or with melted butter and shaved tartufi bianchi (white truffles) from Alba. Another regional specialty is fonduta, a local version of fondue, made with melted cheese, eggs, and sometimes grated truffles. Fontina and ham also often deck out the ubiquitous French-style crepes alla valdostana, served casserole style.

Throughout the region, though especially in Turin, you will find that most meals are accompanied by grissini (bread sticks). Invented in Turin in the 17th century to ease the digestive problems of little Prince Vittorio Amedeo II (1675-1730), these, when freshly made and hand-rolled, are a far cry from the thin and dry, plastic-wrapped versions available elsewhere. Napoléon called them petits batons and was, it seems, addicted to them.

Though desserts here are less sweet than in some other Italian regions, treats like panna cotta (a cooked milk custard), torta di nocciole (hazelnut torte), and bonet (a pudding made with hazelnuts, cocoa, milk, and macaroons) are delights. Turin is renowned for its delicate pastries and fine chocolates, especially for the hazelnut gianduiotti.