Attractions

BEST PLACE

FOR GASTRONOMY

The Langhe Region boasts an important gastronomic tradition. It has roots in both the peasant and bourgeoisie ways of life.  The meeting of these two worlds  has led to the excellent cuisine that we know today. The ingredients for typical Langhe dishes come mostly from the hills and the surrounding lands, nevertheless ingredients coming from the Aosta Valley and Liguria also have great importance. Thanks to this geographic blending the great traditional recipes were created, including 'Bagna Caoda', made from a base of garlic and anchovies and Fondue made with Fontina cheese.

Another product of excellence is the white truffle of Alba. The men who search for these precious mushrooms  are called 'Trifolau'. They explore the countryside by night with their dogs. White truffles are served with fried eggs, on the local  'tajarin'' pasta or 'vitello crudo battuto al coltello', veal tartar. During the international truffle fair in Alba in October and November people of all over the world visit the region to savor and buy the white truffle or the cheaper black truffle that are found also during the summer.

Other specialities range from hors d'oeuvre to desserts : "vitello tonnato", veal with tuna sauce, "lingua in salza", tongue with sauce, "acciughe al verde", anchovies al verde,"trippa in umido", stewed tripe,'agnoletti del plin" -pasta named for the way they are closed  with a pinch-, "bollito misto con salse" -mixed boiled meat with sauce-, "brasato al Barolo" -breased meat with Barolo-,"lepre in civet" -wild hare in civet-, "fagiano in salmi, jugged pheasant.....

To finish, delicious desserts : hazelnut cake, stuffed peaches,"bonet", "panna cotta" -cooked cream-,"timballo  di pere Martino", pears. At the conclusion of a delicious meal  a glass of Barolo Chinato is suggested.

The great cheeses also deserve mentioning. They are classified DOP (denominazione d'origine protetta) and there are eight of them: Castelmagno, Raschera, Bra, Murazzano, Toma piemontese, Robiola di Roccaverano, Gorgonzola and Grana Padano. In addition, the Piedmont is rich in many other types of cheeses; among them the Robiola and the Toma di Langa.

Among the Langa products we  can't forget the "tonda gentile", hazelnut, classified since 1993 as IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) under the name Piedmont hazelnut. It is a main ingredient in numerous confections, like the "Baci di Cherasco", chocolates filled with hazelnuts.

Cherasco, a beautiful little town nearby is famous also for the "lumache",escargots.

Bra on the other hand is the cradle of the "Slow Food Motion" and has its "Universita del Gusto",university of gastronomy.

It's not difficult to find a good restaurant in Piedmont.  It has at this moment 40 Michelin star restaurants, 7 nearby La Morra,  but there are plenty of other "ristoranti","trattorie","osterie" where the regional specialities are served accompanied with excellent wines.