Regional Specialties: THE NORTH

Published Jan. 22, 2009 at 11:45 a.m.

One of the greatest prides of the Italians is their food.

The main meal is eaten in the middle of the day. Large meals consist of many courses. There may be pasta followed by fish or meat. Sometimes there's antipasto - appetizers - before the pasta. Antipasto contain a variety of vegetables and cold meats such as prosciutto, salami, olives, and artichoke hearts.

Food varies greatly, depending on region. Ribbon-shaped pastas are the most popular in the north while the south likes macaroni with tomato sauce. Risotto is a first course, but mainly in the north. Pizza is popular throughout. Wine is served with every meal other than breakfast. Italians like small desserts, e.g. fresh fruit or cake. Cakes include spumoni cake, which is all ice-cream, tiramisu, rum cake, cannoli, and cheesecake.

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Regional Specialties
 
First-time travelers to Italy may be surprised on finding such a diversity of regional food. Unlike your typical Italian restaurant in the US and other countries, Italian food offers a lot more variety than spaghetti and meatballs or Eggplant Parmesan. Even though you can find Italian specialties like pizza and tortellini all over Italy, it's well worth sampling the local dishes for authenticity!

REGIONAL FOOD: The North

Northern Italian cuisine is characterized by less use of olive oil, pasta and tomato sauce and more use of butter (or lard), rice, corn (polenta) and cheeses for cream sauces. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, e.g.  olive oils of the Liguria and the Lakes regions. Pasta in the north is by no means non-existent, but it does have to share time with delicious risotto and polenta. Northern Italian main courses often reflect the people's pride in their unspoiled countryside and are likely to include some sort of game or wild fowl such as rabbit, quail or grouse. Seafood and shellfish are very popular on the coasts and rivers and streams provide carp and trout, the overall rule being: if it grows well in the area, it will be on the plate.

Val d'Aosta: The region produces Fontina cheese that is used in local specialties like Costoletta alla Valdostana - veal chop covered in Fontina. Capriolo alla Valdostana is a hearty venison stew made with wine, vegetables and grappa. The rocky crags of the Alps help make Aostan wines unique; the region is home to Chambave Rosso and Nus Rosso. Whites include the simply named and crisp Bianco and the Blanc de Morgex. Val d'Aosta is also home to the dessert wine Nus-Malvoisie Fletri as well as locally made Grappa.

Piedmont- Piemonte: A popular dish is fonduta, a melted cheese dip of milk, eggs and white truffles (tartufi bianchi). Fine cheeses include Robiola, Caprini and Tumin Electric, a white mountain cheese soaked in red peppers. Cardi alla Bagna Cauda is a dish of chard served with hot sauce, anchovies, garlic and white truffles. Other dishes include game such as rabbit and boiled meat dishes like Vitello Tonnato (veal tongue) and ox tail. Grissino are thin and crispy breadsticks that have become popular throughout the country. Piedmonte is also the home to two wild fungi that are prized the world over: Porcini mushrooms and white truffles. Piemonte produces Asti wines that include Moscato and famous sparkling wine Asti Spumante. Reds include Barbera, Barolo and Barberesco.

Lombardy: Known for its rice dishes including Minestrone alla Milanese, made with vegetables, rice and bacon. Risotto alla Milanese is a creamy dish of braised short-grain rice blended with meat stock, saffron and cheese. Other favorites include ravioli with pumpkin filling and small quails with polenta. Osso bucco is a traditional main course - a knuckle of veal with the marrowbone intact, braised with rosemary and sage. The excellent cheeses of the region include the rich blue Gorgonzola, Grana Padana (a rival of Parmigiano-Reggiano), the alpine Bitto creamy Crescenza and gluttonous Mascarpone. Lombardy wines hail from the Valtellina area, known for its well-aged reds that include Valtellina Superiore, Lombardy's best. Franciacorta is home to sparkling whites in the tradition of French Champagnes.

Veneto: Cooking in the Veneto means polenta and rice along with wild fowl, mushrooms, or seafood. Traditional courses include Risi e Bisi (rice and peas), and Fegato alla Veneziana (calf's liver with onions). Seafood ranging from prawns, shrimp and clams to fresh fish and eels play an important role in the local cuisine and are proudly displayed in markets and restaurants. Wild game such as rabbit, duck, pigeon and guinea fowl are also favorites, found in the protected marshes of the Lagoon. Radicchio di Treviso is a bitter red chicory served as a salad but more often grilled and served with salt and olive oil. Asparagi di Bassano is white asparagus, boiled and served with vinaigrette or eggs. Asiago is the best and most popular cheese coming from the Veneto. Pandoro, a star-shaped cake delicately flavored with orange-flower is a specialty of Verona. The region is known for some of Italy's best known reds such as Valpolicella and Bardolino. Whites include Soave, Gambellara, Bianco di Custoza and Vigne Alte.

Trentino-Alto Adige: This region shares culinary traditions from both the Italian and German sides of the border. Canederli is made with bread and flour and served in a broth is just one of several types of gnocchi (dumplings) popular in Trentino-Alto Adige. Polenta is very popular around Trentino along with wild fowl, river trout and German sauerkraut. Speck, a cured meat similar to bacon, has become available throughout Italy. The most popular cheeses include the fresh Tosela, Spressa delle Giudicarie and Puzzone di Moena. Red wines include the full-bodied Marzemino and the fruity Teroldego. White wines excel in this pre-alpine climate and include Nosiola, Pino Blanc, Chardonnay, the Spumante Talento Trento and the traditional sweet dessert wine Vin Santo.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia: The region is known for its vast cornfields, which feed the area's demand for polenta. Prosciutto di San Daniele is a sweet cured ham that is hung to absorb the fresh mountain air. Montasio is an aged hard cheese sold at different levels of maturity. The cuisine of the Venezia Giulia portion, especially around Trieste reflects German/Slavic traditions. Iota is a soup made of beans, potatoes and white cabbage, Porcina a mix of boiled pork with sauerkraut, mustard and horseradish. Slavic goulash and dumplings are local favorites. The coastal areas love their seafood including cuttlefish (sepia), mixed fried fish and Boreto Graesano, a fish and white polenta soup. Regional desserts have a Germanic touch: apple strudel, Cuguluf (a ring cake) and Gubana (made with dried fruit and raisins). Wines include Ramandolo, Refosco dal Peduncolo and Schiopettino, and the very popular Tocai, Malvasia Istriana, and Ribolla gialla for whites. Vitoska is a white wine served as an aperitivo, Picolit a white dessert wine.

Liguria: The most famous of all culinary masterpieces from Liguria is its Basil Pesto sauce, served with either Trofie (favored in Cinque Terre) or Trenette (favored in Genoa) pasta. The olive oil of the region is an exception to most of Northern Italian cooking and plays an everyday role along the rocky coast. Seafood plays a large role in the local diet with fresh caught anchovies being a favorite as well as Swordfish, Tuna, Sardines and Sea Bass. Zuppa di Datteri is a shellfish soup made in the port of La Spezia. Popular meat dishes including Tomaxelle (Veal rolls) and Coniglio in Umbido (Rabbit stew). Ligurian desserts include Pandolce Genovese, a sweet bread made with candied fruit, raisins and nuts, and sweet pizzas made with walnuts, chestnuts and candied fruit. Reds: Rossese di Dolceacqua, Ormeasco, and the dessert wine Sciacchetra Rosso. Whites: Cinque Terre, Sciacchetra and Colline di Levanto. Sprits range from Grappa to the citrus-based Limoncello Ligure to walnut-infused Nocino.

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