FOOD GLOSSARY
Agnolotti del plin Plin means ‘pinch’ and these tiny stuffed pasta parcels are made with flattened dough, which is pinched to enclose fillings that vary from roasted meat to vegetables, particularly cabbage
Barolo Italian wine par excellence, obtained solely from nebbiolo grapes (see below). It requires three years of ageing, of which a year and a half must be in oak wood. The wine is pleasant to drink after being aged for four to six years; it’s at its peak after ten and remains excellent even after 20 years or more
Bunèt Dessert made with amaretti biscuits, eggs, milk, sugar, chocolate and hazelnuts that was served at banquets as far back as the 13th century. Its name comes from the Piedmontese word bonet – hat – probably because of the copper mould it was cooked in
Carne cruda all’albese Hand-chopped, tartare-like antipasti.
The best is made with the local Fassona beef
Cru French term for a vineyard or group of vineyards of superior quality. Although Italy has no official cru system in place, in recent years an added geographical mention has been allowed to be included on the wine label. In Piedmont, Barolo and Barbaresco have mapped out their grand crus by geography to create vineyard delineations similar to the French system Langarola Medium-sized sheep breed found in the higher Langhe hills. Almost extinct at the beginning of the 21st century, langarola is popular again thanks to the effort of the Slow Food organisation, which promotes local produces such as Toma di Murazzano cheese, made from their milk Merenda sinoira An afternoon meal so rich that it can substitute dinner. It originates from an old rural tradition that goes back to the times when farmers would work in the fields until well after sunset and women would arrive with something to eat around mid-afternoon, to keep them going Nebbiolo The oldest indigenous black grape variety in Piedmont. Its name comes from nebbia, a mist that frequently cloaks the Langhe hills, especially in the autumn, when nebbiolo is harvested. Late-developing and hypersensitive, this is a prima donna vine that requires constant tending. Barolo and Barbaresco are its most famous offspring
Tajarin Handmade, yolk-yellow egg noodles that are fabulously rich and topped with melted butter, meat sauces or porcini mushrooms
Tonda gentile trilobata The Piedmontese hazelnut, so-called because of its perfectly round shape. It’s easy to peel and can be stored for long periods without losing its character. Used in a variety of confections, from Gianduiotto to torta di nocciole (hazelnut cake)
Vitello tonnato Sliced cold veal and tuna sauce, one of the most popular dishes of the area was working at the time. The first dish he put on the table was enough to persuade the entire family they had found ‘the one’. Piazza Duomo’s first Michelin star came just a year after its opening. Since 2012, it’s been Piedmont’s only three-starred restaurant.
Enrico is a man of few words – completely absorbed in his own magical world, as you might expect an artist to be. His routine starts at the crack of dawn with a trip to his vegetable garden, a wonderland of over 400 plant species, where he carefully selects the ingredients he needs for the day ahead.
His signature 21…31…41…51… salad is quite extraordinary, its name deriving from the number of greens it contains. When we had it, there were around 100 herbs and flowers, but the figure can go up to 126, depending on the season. There’s no need for additional seasoning – all the flavour is in the vegetables, from the tangy taste of sorrel to the piquancy of red mizuna and peppery nasturtium. The delicious contrast of salty, bitter, sweet and fresh is pure pleasure for your taste buds. Only when you reach the bottom do you find the umami dashi, which you can drink to refresh your palate. Enrico himself describes it best: ‘It’s like falling face down in a meadow. First you see the flowers, then the herbs. Then you feel the earth, you go deeper and you reach the sea.’
Apulian chef Pasquale Làera is the new kid on the block to look out for. Immersed in the peaceful countryside near Monforte (a 30-minute drive south of Alba), his restaurant Borgo Sant’Anna was awarded its first Michelin star last autumn, a year after its opening. A former sous of famed Piedmont chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Pasquale combines his passion for the south with an insatiable desire to explore the culinary treasures of his adoptive region. ‘I want to evoke memories and emotions,’ he explains while serving his Langhe-inspired chef’s welcome. And what a beautiful homage to this territory it is, from ‘grape leaves’ made with peas and sharp Castelmagno cheese to a ‘caper’ that is actually a soft and moist Bra sausage, and a little truffle made with liver pâté and porcini powder. Then there’s his delicious Piedmontese fritatta, his own version of a traditional cold chicken salad: a full-flavoured and yet delicate pudding that is beautifully presented inside an egg shell.
Felicin is another go-to in Monforte. This family-run restaurant with rooms has been a reliable address for the past four generations. ‘Some of our customers come here because their grandparents used to. I don’t know how many people must have sat there,’ says chef Leonardo Rocca, pointing at the upholstered chairs in the red dining room. The mountainous swirl of tajarin (Piedmontese for taglioni) served with the most delicious of tomato sauces is possibly the best in the region.
Their pasta is thinner than usual, of a melt-in-your-mouth consistency, and requires expertise in the making – ‘just a brief contact with boiling water to rehydrate it,’ explains Leonardo.
You don’t need to book into fancy eateries to taste the best of the region, and the less formal trattorias are arguably the places to eat if you want to say you’ve really been to the Langhe. Osteria da Gemma in Roddino, a village some 20km south of Alba, is one of these institutions, and Gemma Boeri is one of the region’s most beloved women. Her strong arms have been kneading pasta dough every Thursday for the past 40 years. ‘I cook the same Sunday meals my mother used to make,’ she shrugs while serving us a generous portion of yolk-yellow agnolotti del plin, comforting little pasta parcels. In times when menus change at the speed of light, Gemma’s has always been the same, a comforting fact that is clearly appreciated: the waiting list is months-long and the ubiquitous photos of celebrities and politicians reveal this simple establishment is in great demand.
La Terrazza da Renza in Castiglione Falletto is another customary stop. Renza has been serving cold starters on checked tablecloths for most of her life. The magnificent view from its terrace is perfect for a merenda sinoira, an afternoon meal (in case what you had for lunch wasn’t enough!), and Renza’s carne cruda (steak tartare) is just delicious, especially when it’s topped by precious truffle shavings – another Langhe obsession.
It’s easy to see why. The musky aroma and earthy flavour can turn any traditional dish into a gourmet experience. That’s why locals shred it on anything from eggs to Fassona beef tartare. Extremely expensive (last year, a lot weighing 900g was won by a Hong Kong entrepreneur for the incredible sum of £85,000), tartufo is also short-lived. ‘It only lasts the time of a rainbow and it has to be enjoyed like one,’ cautions Mauro Carbone, head of the National Centre for Truffle Studies.
If you find yourself in Piedmont during the autumn, you should be able to catch the annual Fiera del Tartufo, the world’s oldest truffle fair, where the hypogeal mushrooms are auctioned in the finely decorated Hall of Masks of the Grinzane Cavour castle. The white variety is harvested from September to December with the help of truffle dogs that have completed their training in Alba’s Truffle Dog University. Yes, that’s right – that’s how passionate these people are about the truffle business. Indeed, the century-long orally transmitted knowledge behind truffle hunting has been nominated for Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage status, with the decision due to be made in Paris this coming December.
There is, however, an even more expensive delicacy that is harvested in October: saffron, the ‘red gold’. It first started to bloom in a little field in the heart of the Langhe thanks to the efforts of Roberto Lembo and Furio Dutto. ‘It’s rather because of my craziness,’ exclaims Roberto, laughing. ‘Only a crazy person could think of growing saffron in the land of Barolo!’
In fact, it all happened by chance. Roberto purchased a small plot of land in 2011 that was too big to be a vegetable garden and too small for everything else. ‘My wife wanted to plant some tulips, but as it turned out, I bought the wrong bulbs,’ continues Roberto. ‘I had actually met a saffron producer during a journey to Alsace and his story intrigued me. Then, a few months later, I found I’d grown saffron flowers instead of tulips. So it was probably meant to be.’
This is how Safranum was born, and these ‘amateur saffron growers’, as they modestly refer to themselves, produce over 1kg saffron per year – around enough for 100,000 risottos – which involves planting 90,000 bulbs and hand-picking 150,000 flowers. Apart from the backbreaking work of the harvest, their saffron is otherwise low-maintenance for the rest of the year, and the soil is so rich in minerals they don’t need to fertilise it. Tried and tested by the likes of René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen, the quality of the saffron is said to be outstanding. Like just about everything else growing out of this land, in other words.