Protagonists At The Table
The cuisine in Torino offers a wide variety of dishes and flavours. To start off, the antipasto: from vitello tonnato (cold veal with tuna sauce) to acciughe al verde (sardines in a parsley-based sauce), from cold cuts to vegetable quiches, all of which are to be served with the renowned breadsticks that come in two varieties: the stirato (stretched) and the rubatà (rolled). The first course follows: agnolotti of “plin” (pinch) in a roasted meat sauce or simply with butter and sage, or the tajarin, Piemonte’s classic egg noodle to be “elevated” with a dusting of Alba white truffle.
As far as the second course is concerned, the following are two traditional classics: the mixed fried platter and the bagna caôda. The fried platter boldly mixes sweet and salty foods and bagna caôda is a traditional peasant dish that consists of a sauce made with oil, anchovies and garlic in which to dip raw and boiled vegetables. Specialties on the menu include meats – boiled meats in particular and braised beef – and cheese: robiola, toma cheese and goat-cheese.
Lastly, the chocolate capital delights with an immense variety of sweets: the bonèt, made with cocoa and macaroons, is definitely the prince. Cakes prepared with hazelnuts or Gianduja are excellent, as are the traditional stuffed peaches.