december-2012

PIEDMONT ON A PLATE
This north-western corner of Italy draws food-lovers with its outstanding
food and wine, particularly during the winter truffl e season. The hills around
Langa e Monferrato are the heart of white truffl e country, and the rare,
exquisite fungi dominate menus at many local restaurants
Winter lures food
lovers to Piedmont,
the cold months
being perfect for indulging in
the soft hazelnut chocolate,
pungent mountain cheeses, big
Barolo red wines and aromatic
white truffl es that have put the
region on the gastronomic map.
Piedmont’s traditional
cuisine is defi ned by its
geography: the eastern border is
30km from Milan, while to the
north lies Switzerland and to the
west, France. The largest region
in mainland Italy, its landscapes
are incredibly diverse, sweeping
down from the rugged Alps to
the fl at Po Basin in the centre of
the region and south to the vineclad
hills of Langa e Monferrato.
Equally diverse is the region’s
cuisine, which places a strong
emphasis on high-quality
produce and careful preparation,
a nod to the Slow Food
movement that was born here in
the 1980s and has since spread
its values of sustainably
produced quality produce
worldwide. But while
Piedmont’s regional specialities
vary greatly, they do share some
similarities. Italian staples such
as olive oil and spaghetti are not
as common as elsewhere in the
country. Butter is often favoured
over olive oil and risotto or
tajarin, the local take on
tagliatelle, is used instead of
spaghetti.
Must-try dishes include beef
braised in Barolo, white wine
risotto and carne cruda,
Piedmont’s answer to steak
tartare, seasoned with olive oil,
garlic and white pepper. In
winter it is all about tartufi , or
white truffl es, in the region’s
restaurants. The prized
mushrooms are among the
world’s most expensive
delicacies, commanding up to
€7,000 a kilo. Thankfully only a
few grams of the gourmet tubers
are needed to elevate a simple
pasta dish into a culinary
masterpiece. The Ristorante
Guido on the campus of the
University of Gastronomic
Sciences in Pollenzo serves a
dish of Robiola di Roccaverano,
a cream cheese from the area
south of Asti, with white truffl es
for €13.
Winter, when the earth is cool
and damp, is peak truffl e season.
It takes four to fi ve years for the
truffl e hunters to train their dogs
to snuffl e out the precious tubers
on walks in the woods. For every
truffl e they uncover, the dogs are
rewarded with a biscuit or a
piece of ham. Unlike in the
Périgord region in France, only
dogs are used to hunt for truffl es;
the French truffl e pigs often eat
the prize, a loss no Piedmontese
hunter can tolerate.
Besides truffl es, the region is
known for cheese specialities
such as the aforementioned
Robiola di Roccaverano and
pungent, crumbly Castelmagno
from the municipality of the
same name near Cuneo.
Wenn in Piemont die Trauben reif werden,
bedeckt oft Nebel die Weinhänge
Mist often covers the vineyards during
the Piedmont grape harvest
M I L A N
GW—85