Trentino Alto Adige
Trentino Alto Adige is located in northeast Italy, composed of many mountains. The Dolomiti is a specific group of Appalachian mountains that run through this region, which affects the climate and food eaten by its people.
I looked further into the history of this very interesting, German-influenced region and here is what I found:
In 15 BC, Trentino Alto Adige was conquered by the Romans and when this empire eventually fell, it was divided between the invasion of the Germans, the Alamannic Vinschgau, and the Bavarians. This region was then actually 3 very different areas. After the Kingdom of Italy was created by Charlemagne, the Marquisate of Verona received the "leftovers" of the land.
This rich history explains the influence on the cuisine of this region because it is very different from most other Italian dishes.
For many years after this, the region was passed around many times through different invasions and conquerings. Fast forwarding to World War I, there were many battles fought in the Dolomiti part of the Alps between the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjager and the Italian Alpini. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian group allowed the Italian Alpini to take over and occupy the region totally for one of the first times in 1918.
Leading into their unique cuisine, the fertile valleys that make up this region allow for the production of wine, fruit, and dairy products (mainly from cows).
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOP and IGP products of the Trentino Alto Adige region.
As shown with their DOP and IGP products, a lot of the cuisine is built upon things that can be grown or you can get in the mountains. Understandably, considering most of the region is built upon them!
There are a lot of DOP and IGP cheese products, but they are all from cow milk. In this region, this is one of the main animals that they have. Here are just a few:
Asiago DOP
Grana Padano DOP
Provolone Valpadana DOP
Another very interesting DOP that this region has is for apples. Both Mela Val di Non DOP and Mela Alto Adige DOP are cultivated traditionally. The Mela Alto Adige DOP is the largest concentrated European area that is dedicated to the production of fruit. This land contains a dozen apple varietals and 11 of them are at IGP status. Interestingly so, this apple can be found throughout Italy in many grocery stores. I tend to find this interesting because a lot of regions who have specific products, DOP or not, they are often only found in that region. Next time I go to the store, I am going to try to buy one and I will let you know how it tastes!
This region is very famous for the production of speck. This is something interesting to me because, in the states, I did not see or hear about it too much. Speck is an English word that means "fat," perfect for this cured meat because of its fat layer. It is sort of similar to prosciutto in terms of aging and the process, but the flavor is very different. Speck is very regulated, even with the IGP status, they still want the pig to be raised in the region. It is seasoned depending on the person who makes it, each person has their own secret. It is then cold smoked so that the smoke goes inside of the meat, which gives it a unique flavor. It is the cured for about 5 months, then eventually checked for doneness and sent out.
Today I made frittelle di Mele, an apple fritter made with eggs, flour, yeast, and sugar. This was a very simple recipe and procedure, but it was delicious! The fritters were fried and tossed in sugar on one side. The apple added a crunch to the fritter because it was thickly cut, but the flavor of the eggs and sugar were delectable. One of the other groups made salted caramel ice cream that was excellent with the fritters. This is something that could even be made into a plated dessert in some way.
Here are some of my tasting notes from today to wrap up my experience in the kitchen of Trentino Alto Adige:
- Meat is important (Some was boiled, livers are used)
- Hearty dishes like meat and potatoes are eaten (makes sense because they are in the mountains and need extra calories to stay warm)
- Milk and Butter are both used (very little olive oil is used)
- Spices like cumin are used
- Herb of the region: Chives!
- Desserts are sometimes eaten as meals (This goes back to needing more calories); In their region though, these dishes are not considered dessert
Fun Fact of the Day
Name and describe a liqueur known to be produced in this region.
The common liquors made from this region are distilled from fruit, pear, and apricot.
A brand from this region is Roner, which was founded in 1946. Even today, this is some of the most popular distilleries. They produce many different things from fruit to cream and herbal liqueurs.
With Love,
Baylee
I looked further into the history of this very interesting, German-influenced region and here is what I found:
In 15 BC, Trentino Alto Adige was conquered by the Romans and when this empire eventually fell, it was divided between the invasion of the Germans, the Alamannic Vinschgau, and the Bavarians. This region was then actually 3 very different areas. After the Kingdom of Italy was created by Charlemagne, the Marquisate of Verona received the "leftovers" of the land.
This rich history explains the influence on the cuisine of this region because it is very different from most other Italian dishes.
For many years after this, the region was passed around many times through different invasions and conquerings. Fast forwarding to World War I, there were many battles fought in the Dolomiti part of the Alps between the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjager and the Italian Alpini. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian group allowed the Italian Alpini to take over and occupy the region totally for one of the first times in 1918.
Leading into their unique cuisine, the fertile valleys that make up this region allow for the production of wine, fruit, and dairy products (mainly from cows).
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOP and IGP products of the Trentino Alto Adige region.
As shown with their DOP and IGP products, a lot of the cuisine is built upon things that can be grown or you can get in the mountains. Understandably, considering most of the region is built upon them!
There are a lot of DOP and IGP cheese products, but they are all from cow milk. In this region, this is one of the main animals that they have. Here are just a few:
Asiago DOP
Grana Padano DOP
Provolone Valpadana DOP
Another very interesting DOP that this region has is for apples. Both Mela Val di Non DOP and Mela Alto Adige DOP are cultivated traditionally. The Mela Alto Adige DOP is the largest concentrated European area that is dedicated to the production of fruit. This land contains a dozen apple varietals and 11 of them are at IGP status. Interestingly so, this apple can be found throughout Italy in many grocery stores. I tend to find this interesting because a lot of regions who have specific products, DOP or not, they are often only found in that region. Next time I go to the store, I am going to try to buy one and I will let you know how it tastes!
This region is very famous for the production of speck. This is something interesting to me because, in the states, I did not see or hear about it too much. Speck is an English word that means "fat," perfect for this cured meat because of its fat layer. It is sort of similar to prosciutto in terms of aging and the process, but the flavor is very different. Speck is very regulated, even with the IGP status, they still want the pig to be raised in the region. It is seasoned depending on the person who makes it, each person has their own secret. It is then cold smoked so that the smoke goes inside of the meat, which gives it a unique flavor. It is the cured for about 5 months, then eventually checked for doneness and sent out.
Today I made frittelle di Mele, an apple fritter made with eggs, flour, yeast, and sugar. This was a very simple recipe and procedure, but it was delicious! The fritters were fried and tossed in sugar on one side. The apple added a crunch to the fritter because it was thickly cut, but the flavor of the eggs and sugar were delectable. One of the other groups made salted caramel ice cream that was excellent with the fritters. This is something that could even be made into a plated dessert in some way.
Here are some of my tasting notes from today to wrap up my experience in the kitchen of Trentino Alto Adige:
- Meat is important (Some was boiled, livers are used)
- Hearty dishes like meat and potatoes are eaten (makes sense because they are in the mountains and need extra calories to stay warm)
- Milk and Butter are both used (very little olive oil is used)
- Spices like cumin are used
- Herb of the region: Chives!
- Desserts are sometimes eaten as meals (This goes back to needing more calories); In their region though, these dishes are not considered dessert
Fun Fact of the Day
Name and describe a liqueur known to be produced in this region.
The common liquors made from this region are distilled from fruit, pear, and apricot.
A brand from this region is Roner, which was founded in 1946. Even today, this is some of the most popular distilleries. They produce many different things from fruit to cream and herbal liqueurs.
With Love,
Baylee
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