Piedmont traditional dishes!
Italy has a vast and varied culinary heritage, if you want to encounter the real Piedmont regional gastronomy we invite you to experience some of our local tradition dishes. You can try them at the restaurant or at Casa Hygge after having visited our local gastronomy store. Don’t forget to enjoy everything with local wines!
BAGNA CAUDA
Bagna Cauda is an ancient preparation from southern Piedmont based on three main ingedients: olive oil, anchovy and garlic. It is served in a terra-cotta bowls over a candle flame or hot coals (known as a fujot in dialect) to keep it warm throughout the meal. In Piemontese bagna cauda means “hot sauce”. Traditionally Bagna Cauda is served by dipping roughly cut veggies in the smooth sauce. Its richness and the array of seasonal vegetables for dipping make it a popular autumn to winter dish. Locals like to enjoy it with the tannic Dolcetto or an acidic and fruity Barbera
The recipe goes back as far as the Middle Ages, when it was prepared for grape pickers after the harvest to celebrate vino nuovo, the “new,” freshly pressed wine. It is still tradition to pair bagna cauda with local wines (Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto) at this time of year.
AGNOLOTTI AL PLIN
Agnolotti is like a very small ravioli. Traditionally it was stuffed with veal but today you can find plin with pork, beef, and rabbit or vegetables. In Piemontese plin literally means ‘pinch’ because the pasta is pinched together during assembly. The filling is placed between dough layers, then cut and pinched together. It is served with a meat-based ragu or butter and sage.
FARINATA
Farinata is a typical Italian dish, originally from Genoa (Liguria region), where it is called “fainà” in the local dialect. And since Genoa has always been an important port city, farinata could not have arisen anywhere but by the sea.
It didn’t take long for this thin delicacy to spread throughout Italy. Given Piedmont’s proximity and historical ties with Liguria and the former city state of Genoa, farinata is also widely available here, particularly in the south east of the region where the Genoese architectural and culinary influence is most evident. It can be found under various names as popular “street food” in many Italian regions in Piedmont it is called belécauda (meaning ‘nice and hot’ in Piedmontese), most likely as a reference to the temperature it should be eaten at.
BACI DI DAMA
I baci di dama (lady’s kisses) are cookies originating from Piedmont, more precisely from Tortona. Their origin dates back to about two centuries ago, and they were traditionally prepared with Piedmontese hazelnuts, an excellent product of the region. The shape recalls two lovers intent on exchanging a romantic kiss, just like the two round cookies which are joined and bound with the cocoa cream.
BUNET
Bonet is a Piedmontese word meaning ‘hat’. The origins of the name are not certain. Some people say it is because the dessert was traditionally served in a copper mould that resembled and was referred to as a bonèt ëd cusin-a (a ‘chef’s hat’). Others, however, believe it is due to the fact that it was served at the end of a meal, just as our hats would be the last thing to put on before heading home after a hearty meal at a friend’s home. This typical Piedmontese dessert is served today as a creamy pudding made primarily with cacao, eggs and amaretti, and flavoured with rum. It is a soft, rich dessert, that can be eaten with a spoon.
