Local Cuisine

Local specialities

Val Comelico cuisine relies heavily on traditional alpine fare, such as milk, cheese, butter, potatoes, barley, cornmeal, mushrooms, pork, venison and wild berries.
Local specialities include cold meats such as "speck" , cured ham, dried, seasoned sausages, and "pastin di capriolo" savoury minced venison.
"La Genzianella" is a Cooperative cheese-making concern that produces local homemade cheese called "nostrano" (literally"ours") and "malga" which is made with the summer milk from the cows that graze in the mountain pastures. Other cheeses include, smoked and fresh ricottas. "La Genzianella" also produces butter and milk which is sold locally.
You could indulge your taste buds at some of the fine patisseries or bakeries by trying the "Ercolini" a shortbread delicacy, or the "Sartorelli" biscuits which are even served on the Orient Express, or be tempted by many of the exquisite sweets on display.
Local dishes include: minestra d'orzo (barley soup), canederli( dumplings made with speck and salami and cooked in broth), polenta commonly served with hearty beef, pork or venison stews, or melted cheese, and other mouth-watering delights such as "gnocchi" and home made pasta. Much of the local cuisine is heavily infused with "porcini" and other local mushrooms.
But the prized gastronomic dish of the area is "casunzì", ravioli, filled with potatoes and spinach, or bacon. There are several variations to the filling such as wild mint, cabbage or beetroot which make these delicious ravioli quite unique to the area.
You'll find it difficult to resist the melt in the mouth apple strudels, the delicious wild-berry pies and the exquisite homemade jam tarts.
All these dishes can be found on the menus of the local restaurants and mountain huts.
You can finish off your meal with a glass of "grappa" a powerful drink made from skins of grapes and infused with many different flavours including local blueberries, basil and other mountain herbs.
It's important to note that the Veneto region is also the home to some of Italy's best wines such as Soave (dry white) Valpolicella (hearty red) , Bardolino, (light red) and numerous Merlots and Cabernets, not to mention the excellent sparking white wines and Proseccos.
You will find a vast selection of these wines to accompany the irresistible culinary delights of Val Comelico.
Buon Appetito!