Valle d'aosta cibo | Istituto MadeinItaly

Aosta Valley

AOSTA

VALLEY

TERRITORY

AND HISTORY

Valle d'Aosta is a region in the north-west of Italy on the border with France and Switzerland. Located in the western Alps, it is known for the snow-capped peaks of the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso. Courmayeur and Cervinia are among the most important ski resorts. The region's countryside is dotted with castles and medieval fortresses, such as the Fénis Castle and the Verrès Castle, dating back to the 14th century.

The Valle d'Aosta was inhabited by the Celtic Salassi population (however, megaliths dating back to 3000 BC were found). In 25 BC it was conquered by the Romans, who founded Augusta Prætoria Salassorum, today's Aosta.

CUISINE

AND TRADITIONS

Living from local products and limiting external trade to a minimum, we can define the culinary tradition of the Aosta Valley as the only local cuisine that stands out from the tradition of other Italian cuisines, showing great affinity with the neighboring transalpine regions . Local products are essentially mountain cereals, bovine and goat dairy products, meats and derivatives of cattle, pigs and chamois. In addition to traditional local food products, the main ingredients are: vegetables (turnips, leeks, onion), potatoes, chestnuts, apples and pears.

The Valle d'Aosta is a region that is full of festivals and traditional festivals. Many of the events are linked to the seasons of agriculture, typical products and the roots of rural culture. One of the most interesting is certainly the Battle of the Queens, or bloodless struggles between Aosta Valley cows, at the end of which, on the last Sunday of October, the Absolute Queen is elected at the Croiz Noire. There are several festivals and also the Carnival is very felt.

The Valle d’Aosta has a very small area planted with vines (about 400 hectares) of which 70% is in the mountains and the remainder in the hills. The cultivation of the vine is situated above all along the 80 km of the course of the Dora Baltea and, as often happens in mountain areas such as Valtellina or some plots in Alto Adige, it is placed on terraces supported by stone walls that form small plots in maximum part supported by the roots of the vines themselves.

TYPICAL DISHES

Made in Italy - Cibi Itlaiani - Valle d'

Fonduta

Typical and delicious dish based on fontina, characteristic of the Alpine area between the Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Savoy and Switzerland. But the region that has captured the paternity of the simple and tasty recipe is the Valle d’Aosta, given that the main ingredient is the Valdostan fontina DOP.

Polenta concia

Polenta concia is a typical dish from the Valle D'Aosta region, also known as "polenta grassa". The preparation includes a base of corn flour and the addition of Fontina Valdostana DOP and butter that will melt completely once in the oven to obtain a rich and creamy dish.

Civet of Chamois

The chamois civet is a very balanced dish but also rich in ingredients and flavors. Its cooking is quite simple, but it is the preparation work that is much longer. The Aosta Valley, in fact, are masters in the treatment of chamois meat, whose processing is almost exclusive to these areas in Italy.

Seupa à la Vapelenentse

A soup that is one of the most famous recipes of the local gastronomy. It is a typical peasant dish based on stale white bread and Fontina, which is prepared by cutting the two ingredients into slices, then placed one on top of the other and then dipped in broth, covered with melted butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon and then put to bake in the oven.

Aosta Valley sweet tiles

Sweet tiles are delicious biscuits that are part of the Aosta Valley gastronomic tradition. Their name is to be attributed to their shape, which recalls the curved shape typical of tiles. Realizing this effect, then, is simple: it is sufficient to obtain a rolling pin on which to lay the hot wafers, which in this way will take on the characteristic shape

Aosta Valley Ribs

Ribs alla Valdostana represent a tasty variation of the usual ribs especially appreciated by tourists, ribs alla Valdostana, are present in all the typical menus of Valle d'Aosta restaurants and take advantage of all the typical ingredients of this very rich region: from costoletta , with fontina.

Aosta Valley coffee

The Valle d'Aosta coffee is a communal way of drinking coffee, a typical costume of the Aosta Valley cuisine. Requires a special container, grolla or cup of friendship, carved in a piece of wood. The varieties of coffee normally used for Valdostan coffee are Arabica and Robusta.