The mountains

There are places where even flavours “fly high”, in an unspoiled environment in which quality products represent a rustic culinary tradition closely linked to local production. From the borders with France and the Maritime Alps to Lake Maggiore, a 550-kilometre Alpine chain in Piedmont provides opportunities for contact with nature all the year round: skiing in winter, with 53 stations and 1,300 km of slopes, and trekking and altitude sports in the summer. Each valley has its own recipe, but no meal is ever without hill country products: in the Turin area, the aromatic Plaisentif, the famous cheese from the Val Chisone violets; Cevrin di Coazze and Serass del Fen, which are Slowfood presidia products; in the Cuneo area there are 4 DOPs: Raschera, Bra, Murazzano and the highly valued Castelmagno, produced in the municipalities of Castelmagno, Pradleves and Monterosso Grana. In Verbano-Cusio-Ossola there is Bettelmatt, which is only made in seven mountain pasture areas, at altitudes of between 1,500 and 2,500 metres; then there is ‘Toma valsesiana’ from Valsesia, made with the precious recipes from the Walser tradition; Maccagno from the Biella valleys and in the province of Alessandria Montebore , made with sheep milk with its characteristic conical drum shape, which is also a Slow Food presidia product. Also worthy of mention are the wild boar and venison cold cuts, the polenta enhanced with game and mushrooms, the tasty black bread to be enjoyed with mountain butter, the delicious Gofri from Alta Val Susa, crispy wafers that can be filled with cold cuts and cheese or jam; dishes based on mountain potatoes or chestnuts and Sambuco lamb from the Occitan valleys. For dessert, the Canestrelli shortbread from the province of Turin and those from Biella, which are similar to wafers. All this can be accompanied by the high-altitude Piedmontese wines, including the rare “ice wine”, and to conclude, grappas, genepies and amaros with alpine herbs.