Mushrooms and Truffles
Something else this generous land spontaneously gives us are Mushrooms, in particular edible boletus, which grow more or less abundantly in the woods of various valleys in Cuneo from year to year and are a good opportunity to take good healthy walks.
Worth mentioning is the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba, known all over the world. A rare, precious, and sought-after ingredient on menus of the most important national and international restaurants.
Honey
The abundant flowering of characteristic cultures on the plains, hills and mountains, give life to a natural universally known bee product: honey. Fruit of the dedicated work of the many beekeepers throughout the region, Cuneo is one of the leading producers of honey, the numerous varieties of which are linked with the crops and altitude. Many different types of honey can be found on the market, such as: acacia, taraxacum, chestnut, mountain flower, lime and honeydew.
Pastas and Confectionery
In the scenario of local products, not to be left out are the confectionery products, which are perfect for celebrations and Cuneo is rich in such traditions. Processing of the regional products gives rise to important products: first and foremost, the Marron glacè, which derives from the candying of the whole, non-sieved sweet chestnut. Production began in the 16 th century , when, thanks to the American production, there was a greater availability of sugar. Among the hazel-nut cakes, there is the Torta di nocciole, a local cake of the Langhe following home traditions; Hazel-Nut Hard Nougat, made with a honey, sugar, glucose and a high quantity of hazelnuts of the Tonda Gentile type of the Langhe; Baci di Dama and Baci di Cherasco.
Another product is Paste di meliga, made with cornmeal and preferably taken from the old local varieties. This speciality is also named ” batiaie”, as it was traditionally offered during christening celebrations; some other extremely prestigious products can be found in the Monregalese area, object also of Slow Food protection. Other sweets are the heart-shaped Quaquare di Genola, made with wheat flour, vaguely similar to the shape of the maggiolini, called quaquare in dialect, traditionally produced in May and kept from one year to the next in special burnie (glass jars) which maintain their original fragrance. Among the other sweet products, we find Praline al rhum (rum pralines), and in particular the famous Cuneesi al rhum, even if almost every town produces its own; Bunet, a pudding made with eggs, macaroons, cocoa and rum; Mustaccioli, rhomboid-shaped sweets tasting of wine and spices; Panna cotta, a very stiff white pudding covered with caramel; Persi pien, peaches stuffed with macaroons and chocolate and oven-baked.
Among the pastas, the seat of honour belongs to the Agnolotti, fresh filled pasta, a traditional first-course dish typical of important festivities of the past. Then there are the Ravioli al plin, fresh stuffed pasta, smaller than Agnolotti, and the name comes from the word, “plin” in dialect (nip), since the pastry is nipped to enclose the filling which is usually of meat; Tabarin, an old recipe, fresh egg pasta, an old recipe, the shape of which is similar to the thin tagliatelle; Gnocchi and Ravioles, produced with wheat flour and mountain potatoes and usually cooked with local cheese (Raschera, Castelmagno).
Other products:
Baci di Cherasco
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Genepì
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Honey
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Mustaccioli
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Typical Bread Varieties
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Maize Biscuits
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Fresh Pasta
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Rhum Chocolates
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Genola Quaquare
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White Truffel of Alba
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Hazelnut Hard Nougat
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