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Cheeses |
Salami
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Travel | Italian Food
 Aosta Valley Food:
The flavors that emerge from
fontina cheese
summon images of the fresh herbs and
flowers the cows graze on in the high Alpine meadows of the Valle d’Aosta.
This semi-cooked, straw-yellow cheese, with tiny holes and a supple, soft
texture, is perfect for
melting and is used to make
fonduta, or fondue,
one of the region’s famous dishes. For an
authentic antipasto, toast small squares of country bread, rub with
a clove of garlic, top with little chunks of
fontina and an
anchovy, then pop the toasted squares into a hot
oven for a minute, and serve piping hot.
Providing hearty sustenance,
carbonade
is a classic Valdostan stew. The meal is made with salt-cured or fresh
beef, onions, red wine, butter, and nutmeg, and often is served with
polenta. The name – derived from carbone, or coal – refers to the
dark gravy that results after the meat is cooked.
Eaten in soup, with lardo (spiced bacon), or
savored alone with a pat of fresh butter, pane nero
(black bread) is a staple food for families in the valley. Made with rye and
wheat flours, this bread was baked traditionally in the communal oven just
once a year and was dried to preserve it. Today, residents and visitors
consume so much of the satisfying pane nero that it is made fresh
on a daily or weekly basis.
After a delicious and satisfying fonduta,
friends and neighbors may be found sipping a cup of grolla
dell'amicizia, or cup of friendship, to keep warm on a chilly
night. More than just an after-dinner drink, grolla consists of
wine and espresso that are mixed and spiked with grappa and served
hot in a wooden goblet with a lid to keep in the heat.
 Aosta Valley typical food:
Capriolo alla valdostana: venison stewed in red wine with vegetables, herbs, grappa, cream.
Carbonade: salt-cured beef cooked with onions and red wine in a rich stew.
Minestra di castagne e riso: thick soup of rice cooked in milk with chestnuts.
Polenta alla rascard: cornmeal cooked, cooled and sliced, then baked with layers of Fontina and a ragout of beef and sausage.
Risotto alla valdostana: Fontina, toma, Parmigiano Reggiano and butter make this one of the creamiest of rice dishes.
Seupa de gri: barley soup with potatoes, onions, seasonal vegetables, salt pork.
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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