Читать книгу Through the Italian Alps. The GTA - The Grande Traversata delle Alpi онлайн

38 страница из 48

Speciality sausages

Valle Tanaro (at the walk start) is known for polenta saracena, so-called for its main ingredient, tartary buckwheat, dubbed ‘Saracen’ in Italian for its dark colour, reminiscent of the long-ago invaders. Potato is blended with flour, and served with a sauce of milk, leeks and wild mushrooms. The Valle Varaita offers a simpler version known as polenta de trifolas e fromentin. More widespread is polenta concia, steaming yellow cornmeal smothered in either funghi (mushrooms), formaggio fuso (melted cheese) or spezzatino in umido, stewed meat. Game (selvaggina) is not unusual and menus offer capriolo (roe deer) or cervo (venison). A must for gourmet carnivores (not put off by the name) is fragrant brüscitt, minced beef simmered in red wine with cloves. Continuing with the second course (secondo piatto), you will occasionally be offered fresh trout (trota), especially in the Valsesia where fly-fishing is popular. Unconsumed fish are then fried and pickled in onion, herbs and vinegar, to produce flavoursome trota in carpione.