Food and Wine
The origins of the unique gastronomy of this area relate to its peasant past, over many years these
dishes have been refined and enriched using the genuine products the local area has to offer.
The cooking has been influenced from traditional French methods and dishes to the mediterranean
culture of the Ligurians and the plain robust flavours of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna mixed together to
form the eclectic dishes of the Monferrato, which are various and second to none in any other
Italian region you could find.
You can find in some of the more interesting restaurants dishes which had been lost and brought back to
the palate of the modern piedmontese: le verdure crude con la bagna cauda – raw vegetables
dipped in a garlic, anchovy and olive oil sauce, gli agnolotti – ravioli stuffed with roast
veal, gli gnocchi, le zuppe, i risotti – risotto with truffles, la carne cruda, il vitello
in salsa tonnata – slices of roast veal in tuna sauce, i formaggi freschi o stagionati –
fresh and mature cheeses, il bollito – boiled meats, il fritto misto di carni e verdure –
battered & fried mix of meats and vegetables.
The impressive cuisine of the monferrato continues with the fabulous mushrooms and truffles
of both white and black varieties and desserts range from bunet al chocolate, baci (kisses) of
Acqui, krumiri di Casale of nougat, sweet polenta (corn) cakes to the famous amaretti of Mombaruzzo.
To accompany every dish there is of course a perfect local wine: Barbera with a robust body
and a dry taste, Freisa agreeable & fresh with a light structure, Grignolino with a gutsy, slightly
bitter taste. If your preference is for white then Cortese could be for you, it is dry, harmonious with
slightly bitter overtones. For dessert, it is essential to try the Asti or the Moscato both sweet and sparkling,
Malvasia has a soft, sweet & aromatic taste and finally Brachetto, which is very delicate red and has a
musky scent.
