In Piedmont food comes first. It boasts centuries-old culinary traditions and outstanding, top quality local produce and raw materials which are used to make products which are much appreciated throughout the world.

The Piedmont region focuses on the quality of life, combining picturesque places with good food and the best wines of Italy.
A tour of the palate of Piedmont starts from the 52,000 hectares of world renowned vineyards. Indeed this area boasts an unbeatable heritage of wine: 44 bearing D.O.C. and 10 D.O.C.G., the highest national standard, which has only been granted to 31 wines throughout Italy.

Click here to see an interview with wine expert Nicola Norton on the wines of Piemonte.

The wines of Piedmont need no introduction: Barolo and Barbaresco are the kings of a court thronged by whites and reds, like Brachetto, Gavi, Gattinara, Ghemme, Roero Nebbiolo and Arneis, Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante, which sells millions of bottles a year all round the world. Vermouth was invented here by the Torino producer Carpano, then made famous by the Martini and Cinzano brands.

After sampling one of these nectars, it's off in search of the many delicacies that only an area as outstanding as this can offer and the finest culinary traditions render unique. Meat, to start with. "Razza bovina piemontese" beef has the lowest cholesterol content of all and is distinguished by a standard which guarantees its quality. The meat from white Piedmontese calves features in some of the region's key specialties, from the famed "bollito misto" to raw steak, minced by hand or served all'albese. And then the pork salamis which are second to none.

But the pastures of Piedmont also mean cheese. These include flavorsome Gorgonzola and Taleggio, nourishing Grana Padano, and Castelmagno, the most noble of cheeses, a time-honoured crumbly cheese of outstanding quality produced in very small quantities. As well as Raschera, Bra, Murazzano and Robiola di Roccaverano: just a few examples of the vast galaxy of Piedmont's dairy specialties, produced according to centuries-old methods, often directly in the Alpine pastures.
These are meats and cheeses of such renown that they generously lend themselves as a sauce or filling for the rice and pasta dishes that the area is famous for: such as tajarin, the thin tagliatelle pasta as yellow as the eggs it is made with; agnolotti, the most famous variety of pasta with filling, which in Piedmont is served with roast beef sauce; and rice, with Vercelli, the most important production area in Italy, offering the wonderful varieties Carnaroli, Baldo and Sant'Andrea.

The region's exceptional panorama of food products also features some prized traditional vegetable crops, cultivated on its fertile plains: the square pepper of Motta di Costigliole d'Asti, or the hornshaped variety of Carmagnola, leeks from Cervere, onions from Ivrea, asparagus from Santena, and the round cardoon of Nizza Monferrato: just a few of the vegetables traditionally served for dipping into bagna caôda, a hot sauce made of garlic, anchovies and oil, which along with fritto misto, is the definitive Piedmontese dish.

And then there is the real "king" of regional gastronomy: the white truffle, that rare prized fruit of a land which also conceals underground treasures. This little "tuber", worth more than its weight in gold, is found above all in the area around Alba, in the famed Langhe district, world renowned for its wines, but truffles can also be found in all the hilly areas of the region. A sprinkling of tiny slivers over tajarin pasta or even just fried eggs, releases the truly unique aroma.

Last but not least, come the sweets. Prized honeys, the famous hazelnut known as "Tonda Gentile delle Langhe" (the 'sweet round nut of the Langhe') and above all chocolate, which came to Torino at the end of the seventeenth century and is now one of the capital's most outstanding products – all feature as ingredients in many Piedmontese treats, like hazelnut cake, the hazelnut biscuits Nocciolini di Chivasso, pralines, dragé, Baci di Dama biscuits, nougat and the well known Gianduiotti chocolates, a blend of cocoa and toasted hazelnuts that Piedmont is known for throughout the world, thanks both to the handiwork of Torino's pastry chefs and the production of Nutella, the sweet spread that has become an international success story.

These are the prized fruits of the hills, vineyards, pastures and fields of Piedmont, made unique by the skill and talent of local companies and craftsmen.

It is said that in Piedmont a love of food is a virtue, not a vice.