Piedmont a la Carte

Piedmont a la Carte

Piedmont sounds seductive, like its truffles and chocolate cherry pralines - but who really knows Piedmont? Coming from northern Europe by car, travellers to Tuscany and Umbria usually bypass Piedmont at its most north-western corner, and never come into contact with Italy's most diverse and productive province. For great cuisine, Piedmont has all the ingredients - corn and rice grow in the fertile plains of the river Po, apricots, peaches, figs and kiwi abound in Cuneo, Langhe is noted for its hazelnuts, and the Monferrato hills are world famous for their wines.

Grissini

Italian restaurants around the world have at least one thing in common: grissini, the slim breadsticks, are as essential as knives and forks and feature on every table. But how many people know that grissini are of Piedmontese origin? 150 years ago prince Umberto, son of King Vittorio Emanuele II, was a weak child unable to digest normal bread - until one of the court bakers created a much lighter dough, and baked it in the shape of sticks for the pleasure of the young prince. Thus the grissino was born.

Of course the popular factory-baked bread sticks have little in common with the original grissino, which is found only in Piedmontese bakeries and restaurants. The real thing is made by hand, is very crispy and thin, and can be up to one meter long.

Truffles

At the first light of day they are on their way. Accompanied by their trained dogs, the trifolai (truffle hunters) dig for Piedmontese "diamonds", the white truffles or 'Tuber magnatum'. They grow deep in the soil under trees and are difficult to find, but it is well worth the effort - a kilogram fetches up to $3000 US.

Truffles are in season nearly the whole year round: in summer and early autumn the quarry is the black truffle (actually, it's lightly coloured inside), and from October to early spring the hunt is on for the famous white Alba truffle. They are eaten raw in tiny quantities - when grated over pasta, risotto, eggs, salads or meat dishes, only a few grams give a distinct flavour. The strong scent of the truffle may not be to everyone's taste, but for the addict the unique pleasure is reason enough for that extra trip to the region.

Look out for the truffle market in Alba, every Saturday morning during the season. You could also try these specialised suppliers:

Piedmontese Restaurants

Eating out in Piedmont is one of the finest of pleasures. Food-lovers from Milan and Turin flock south every weekend to visit their favourite restaurants - for Saturday evening or Sunday lunchtime, therefore, it's usually a good idea to book a table.

Printed menus are rare. Usually the proprietor tells you what is available - or is happy to choose for you when you can't decide, so that he can surprise you with a never-ending sequence of fine dishes. Sometimes you need only select from large platters of antipasti that are carried from table to table - choose what you fancy, and stop when you have had enough. The only thing you have to do is order the wine.

A typical Piedmontese meal starts with at least four different antipasti (starters) but there can be as many as ten and even more. Each one is served individually and the dishes are eaten one by one. First come the cold dishes, followed by hot ones, which end usually in one or two or three different home-made pastas. Risotti are also very popular - Piedmont is the biggest rice-producer in Europe. Untrained diners probably give up at this stage, not so the Piedmontese - they are now looking forward to enjoying a main course, and often more than one - two are standard, but three or more are possible. If by some chance you can still manage it, you can choose from various excellent local cheeses. Lovers of desserts are also here in the best of hands: Piedmont is famous for its wonderful hazelnut cakes, always served with a Moscato zabaione, and for many other delicious puddings.

In Piedmont, a restaurant selected at random will usually be excellent - excellence is the rule rather than the exception. Therefore the following list is far from exhaustive - it is only a selection of our personal favourites.

Some appear in published guides, and some do not, but we can recommend each and every one of them. Enjoy!

The Wines of Piedmont

Piedmont is certainly one of the top wine regions in the world, but in terms of quantity it ranks behind other Italian regions. This is due to the fact that the first priority is quality - wine growing is more strictly regulated than in other parts of Italy.

To experience the real Piedmont, travel in the wine-country during the autumn harvest. At this time families and friends work side by side in the vineyards, the children have time off school, and there is only one concern - the new wine. The vineyards are with few exceptions small - big estates hardly exist. In the large vineyards typical of Tuscany and Umbria, crowds of hired pickers have to be imported - but in South Piedmont the wine business is mainly a family affair.

Harvest-time can last up to two months, due to the large number of different grape varieties with their variable ripening times. White varieties ripen earlier than red ones, and vines in the valleys are harvested before the vines on the hills. The advantage is that producers need fewer people to harvest the crop. When the harvest is over, tradition dictates that producers and helpers reward themselves for their hard work with an al fresco banquet.

Choosing wine in Piedmont is not easy: there are many varieties, of which some are known only locally. Luckily there are dozens of public and private enoteche (wine exhibition centres) and botteghe del vino (wineries) which invite visitors to taste and learn about Piedmontese wine. Both the enoteca and the bottega del vino are generally well signposted. Reservations are generally not required, but bear in mind that you are usually expected to pay for what you consume!

Some enoteche are sited in castles and palazzi and other historically interesting buildings. Often an enoteca is attached to a wine-making museum and a restaurant where you can enjoy a fine meal to accompany the wine.

Here is a selection of local enoteche and botteghe: