Piedmont Food Guide: Traditional Dishes and Regional Cuisine

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Piedmont is one of Italy’s great food regions, especially famous for fresh egg pasta, Alba white truffles, slow-cooked beef, and hazelnut desserts. If you’re visiting, make time for agnolotti del plin, tajarin with white truffles in autumn, and brasato al Barolo.

Located in the foothills of the Alps in northwestern Italy, Piedmont is a region of beauty and tradition. This Italian region is famous worldwide for its highly sought-after Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. Wine lovers travel from near and far to soak up the landscape of undulating hills blanketed in vineyards while savoring arguably the best Italian wines the country offers.

Piedmontese dishes often incorporate butter, although olive oil is also important in traditional preparations. Many Piedmontese recipes call for abundant amounts of garlic. Because the region has so many cattle, meat often features in Piedmontese kitchens, with veal appearing frequently.

While Piedmont boasts a variety of regional pastas, it is also renowned for its rice. Moreover, Piedmont is one of Europe’s foremost centers for rice cultivation. Today, many Piedmontese dishes include this ancient grain.

Piedmont also has a special place in the history of the Slow Food movement. Carlo Petrini, a native of Bra, established the Arcigola association in 1986, which helped lay the foundations for the international Slow Food movement launched in 1989. Its commitment to protecting traditional foods, artisan producers, and local food cultures is particularly relevant to Piedmont’s gastronomy.

Starters – Antipasti

Piedmont even has its own late-afternoon food tradition, merenda sinoira, once a substantial snack of salami, an omelet, fruit, and wine. With that sort of appetite, it’s hardly surprising that the antipasti deserve some attention.

Grissini – Breadsticks of Piedmont

Grissini are the long, crisp breadsticks you’ll find on restaurant tables throughout Piedmont. Legend has it that a Turin baker named Antonio Brunero created them for the young Vittorio Amedeo II, who struggled to digest ordinary bread. It’s a good story, even if the history is difficult to prove.

Wine pairing: Alta Langa DOCG — The freshness and fine bubbles of this traditional-method sparkling wine make it an appealing aperitif alongside grissini.

Vitello Tonnato

Veal and tuna may sound like an unlikely combination, but vitello tonnato is one of Piedmont’s best-loved antipasti. Thin slices of tender veal are served cold with a creamy sauce made from tuna, capers, lemon, and sometimes mayonnaise. It’s usually prepared in advance, giving the flavors time to develop.

Wine pairing: Roero Arneis — Its freshness and delicate fruit complement the creamy tuna sauce without overpowering the veal.

Carne Cruda all’Albese

Piedmont’s answer to steak tartare, carne cruda all’albese is made with finely chopped raw beef, traditionally cut by hand rather than minced. The meat is simply dressed with olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Around Alba, you may also find it served with a few shavings of white truffle when in season.

Bagna Cauda

Garlic lovers will feel right at home in Piedmont, especially when bagna cauda is on the menu. This warm sauce of anchovies, garlic, and olive oil is served with raw and cooked vegetables for dipping. Traditionally enjoyed during the autumn grape harvest and throughout winter, bagna cauda is often shared around the table. It can be a starter, although with enough vegetables and good bread, it’s a meal in itself.

First Courses – Primi Piatti

While Piedmont boasts a variety of regional pasta, it’s also renowned for its rice. Don’t be surprised if the first course becomes the highlight of the meal.

Agnolotti del Plin

If you’re visiting the Langhe, don’t miss agnolotti del plin. These small parcels of egg pasta are filled with meat, traditionally veal, pork, or rabbit, and sealed with a distinctive pinch. That’s where the name comes from: plin means ‘pinch’ in the local dialect. Originally, the filling was a clever way of using up leftover roast meat.

Wine pairing: Dolcetto d’Alba — Its fruit and moderate acidity work particularly well with meat-filled agnolotti served with butter or a light roasting jus.

Tajarin

Tajarin is one of Piedmont’s best-loved pasta dishes. These fine, golden strands are made with plenty of egg yolks, giving the pasta its distinctive richness. In autumn, there’s little better than tajarin with butter and freshly shaved Alba white truffles. You’ll also find it served with a hearty ragù made from Bra’s famous sausage.

Wine pairing: Mature Barbaresco — Developed Nebbiolo aromas can complement white truffles, particularly when the tajarin is dressed simply with butter.

Panissa

Typical of the Vercelli area, panissa is a hearty filling dish eaten on cold winter nights in Piedmont. Panissa is a rice dish made with beans and salam d’la doja, a traditional Piedmontese salami preserved in fat. Cook it with wine, onions, and other ingredients that vary by local recipe.

Gnocchi al Castelmagno

For a decadent taste of Piedmont, order gnocchi al Castelmagno. A typical dish in the province of Cuneo, these potato gnocchi are dressed with a sauce made using the local Castelmagno DOP cheese, often with milk or cream and butter. Occasionally, you’ll find them garnished with toasted hazelnuts.

Main Courses – Secondi Piatti

When it comes to main courses, Piedmont isn’t shy about meat. Beef, veal, and the occasional piece of offal appear in some of its most traditional dishes, particularly those enjoyed during the colder months.

Brasato al Barolo

Few dishes use Piedmont’s famous wine better than brasato al Barolo. Beef is marinated in Barolo with vegetables, herbs, and spices, then browned and slowly braised until tender enough to cut with a fork. The cooking juices become a rich wine sauce, spooned over the meat and usually served with polenta to soak up every last drop.

Wine pairing: Barolo — Its firm tannins and savory character suit slow-cooked beef particularly well.

Bollito Misto

Bollito misto, or mixed boiled meats, is a hearty meat dish often served in Piedmont’s winter months. The mix may include different types and parts of meat, including beef shoulder, veal neck or tongue, cotechino, pork sausage, calf’s head, and more. Plus, bollito misto is accompanied by vegetable sides and bagnet verd, mostarda, or bagnet ross. The latter is a red sauce made with tomatoes and vegetables, with recipes varying by kitchen.

Fritto Misto alla Piemontese

Don’t expect the usual plate of fried seafood when you order fritto misto in Piedmont. Known locally as fricassà mëscià, it’s a rather unusual assortment of fried meats, offal, and vegetables, with apples and sweet semolina fritters thrown in for good measure. The combination may sound strange, but that’s part of its charm.

Finanziera

With humble beginnings in cucina povera, finanziera uses parts of animals that would otherwise be discarded, including offal and sweetbreads. The ingredients are slowly cooked with aromatics and a sauce that can include wine, vinegar, and stock, depending on the recipe. Finanziera is either served on its own or with rice.

Desserts in Piedmont

Save some room for dessert. Piedmont’s hazelnuts deserve their reputation, and chocolate has been something of an obsession in Turin for centuries.

Bonèt

Bonèt (or bunet) is one of the Langhe’s classic desserts, a chocolate-and-amaretti pudding traditionally turned out of its mould with caramel on top. Some recipes include a splash of rum.

Torta di Nocciole

The Langhe takes its hazelnuts seriously, and torta di nocciole is one of the nicest ways to enjoy them. This traditional cake is wonderfully nutty and usually served with little more than a dusting of icing sugar.

Wine pairing: Moscato d’Asti — Its gentle sweetness, floral character, and light effervescence work beautifully with hazelnut desserts.

Baci di Dama

Baci di dama, or lady’s kisses, are small cookie sandwiches featuring chocolate between two hazelnut cookies. These delicate biscuits are particularly associated with Tortona and are among Piedmont’s most recognizable sweet treats.

Gianduiotto

Gianduiotto is an iconic chocolate from Turin made with chocolate and hazelnut paste known as gianduia. Piedmont’s celebrated hazelnuts are central to this distinctive chocolate tradition, which has become closely associated with the city.

Bicerin

Turin is both Piedmont’s capital and one of Italy’s great chocolate cities. The famous bicerin combines coffee, chocolate, and cream into a rich, layered drink. At the historic Caffè al Bicerin, people traditionally enjoy the beverage without mixing the three ingredients.