UMBRIA - FOOD
Umbrian cuisine is noted for its simplicity. It relies strongly on seasonal produce such as mushrooms and wild asparagus, on wild delicacies such as truffles, on vegetables, cereals, regionally reared meat, particularly lamb, pork and game, either cooked over the fire or worked into cured hams and salami.
Meat
Meat is usually grilled and served plain. Local favorites include bistecca alla fiorentina (rare char-grilled steak) and the simple rustic dishes of arista (roasted pork loin stuffed with rosemary and garlic) or pollo alla diavola (flattened, marinated chicken grilled with herbs). Game such as cinghiale (wild boar) and coniglio (rabbit) often turns up in hill-town trattorias. The best dish for meat lovers is pork, masterfully treated by Umbrian butchers who turn the meat into delicacies like sausages, tasty hams and salami, like those of Norcia, to eat with unsalted bread that brings out the taste. Norcia`s fame as center for the production of cured meats has even produced the term norcino, used in the Italian language to indicate all kinds of meats preserved in this manner. Visitors to the city in northern Umbria will be able to savor the extraordinary variety of cured meats, from cojoni di mulo to boar sausages, DOC and IGP denomination Norcia prosciutto, and Ciauscolo, made with the shoulder cut of the pork, bacon and pork fat all minced three times and ideal for spreading over bread.
Among the region`s most typical main courses is Terni`s colombaccio selvatico, a wild pigeon dish which is cooked over the spit, after which the bird is placed in a casserole to stew with a sauce known as ghiotta, made with seasonings and the gravy from the bird during the previous cooking phase. The area around Orvieto specializes in gallina ubriaca (drunken hen) chicken cooked in plenty of good Orvieto wine. Specialties from Perugia include roast lamb`s head and torello alla perugina.
Pasta
Ciriole alla ternana is a variety of pasta made using just water and flour, and is usually served with a garlic, oil and chili pepper. It also appears in the traditional cuisine of both Narni and Spoleto, only with the name of strangozzi. Probably the most typical Umbrian pasta dish is spaghetti, or strangozzi, with black truffles. Other pasta course highlights include umbrichelli in salsa di Trasimeno (with perch filets, shallots, garlic and chili pepper), spaghetti col rancetto (with bacon, cherry tomatoes and fresh pecorino cheese), pappardelle alla lepre (with hare ragout, bacon and cloves).
Vegetables
A number of the region`s vegetables and cereals have earned the prestigious PGI mark by the European Union (Protected Geographical Indication), these include Lake Trasimene beans, Cannara onions, Trevi black celery and the lentils of Castelluccio di Norcia, a tasty ingredient for soups, main courses or side dishes.
Truffles
Truffles play an important part in many Umbrian dishes, starting from hors d`oeuvres such as crostini al tartufo (made with black truffles), crostini alla norcina (made using anchovies, truffles and chicken liver), and chicken liver crostini (made with chicken liver, capers and a squeeze of lemon). The most common variety is the black truffle, very popular with pasta or with game, especially in the area of Norcia and Spoleto, but more valuable white truffles can be found as well, particularly in the Tiberina Valley, Orvieto and Gubbio. These tubers are ideal both for the preparation of tasty appetizers and with pasta, and are also used in fresh and seasoned cheeses from the area, particularly in Umbrian pecorino cheese or the local formaggio di fossa, seasoned in the soil.
Olive Oil
Everything is seasoned with the golden and fruity olive oil produced in this region, which enhances any dish without upstaging the flavor; Umbrian oil of high quality is awarded with a PDO quality mark (Protected Designation of Origin). Umbria boasts no less than five different DOP denomination varieties: Colli Orvietani, Colli Martani, Colli Amerini, Colli di Assisi-Spoleto, Colli del Trasimeno. Umbria`s largest production center for olive oil is Trevi, around which visitors will be able to admire entire mountain sides given over to the cultivation of this legendary tree.
Chocolates
Umbria also has a long standing history in the production of chocolate. Founded in 1907, the Perugina chocolate factory rose to international popularity and fame with its Baci, made with ground hazelnuts and dark chocolate. The original machinery used in the production of Perugina chocolate is on display at a museum devoted to the history of the factory that opened in 1997. In 1988 Perugina was incorporated into the holdings of the Swiss multinational Nestlé.
Wines
Umbria is particularly suitable for wine growing, and its mild climate gives this land top-quality white and red wines, including, among the many well-known labels, Assisi Grechetto and Sagrantino di Montefalco.
Meat
Meat is usually grilled and served plain. Local favorites include bistecca alla fiorentina (rare char-grilled steak) and the simple rustic dishes of arista (roasted pork loin stuffed with rosemary and garlic) or pollo alla diavola (flattened, marinated chicken grilled with herbs). Game such as cinghiale (wild boar) and coniglio (rabbit) often turns up in hill-town trattorias. The best dish for meat lovers is pork, masterfully treated by Umbrian butchers who turn the meat into delicacies like sausages, tasty hams and salami, like those of Norcia, to eat with unsalted bread that brings out the taste. Norcia`s fame as center for the production of cured meats has even produced the term norcino, used in the Italian language to indicate all kinds of meats preserved in this manner. Visitors to the city in northern Umbria will be able to savor the extraordinary variety of cured meats, from cojoni di mulo to boar sausages, DOC and IGP denomination Norcia prosciutto, and Ciauscolo, made with the shoulder cut of the pork, bacon and pork fat all minced three times and ideal for spreading over bread.
Among the region`s most typical main courses is Terni`s colombaccio selvatico, a wild pigeon dish which is cooked over the spit, after which the bird is placed in a casserole to stew with a sauce known as ghiotta, made with seasonings and the gravy from the bird during the previous cooking phase. The area around Orvieto specializes in gallina ubriaca (drunken hen) chicken cooked in plenty of good Orvieto wine. Specialties from Perugia include roast lamb`s head and torello alla perugina.
Pasta
Ciriole alla ternana is a variety of pasta made using just water and flour, and is usually served with a garlic, oil and chili pepper. It also appears in the traditional cuisine of both Narni and Spoleto, only with the name of strangozzi. Probably the most typical Umbrian pasta dish is spaghetti, or strangozzi, with black truffles. Other pasta course highlights include umbrichelli in salsa di Trasimeno (with perch filets, shallots, garlic and chili pepper), spaghetti col rancetto (with bacon, cherry tomatoes and fresh pecorino cheese), pappardelle alla lepre (with hare ragout, bacon and cloves).
Vegetables
A number of the region`s vegetables and cereals have earned the prestigious PGI mark by the European Union (Protected Geographical Indication), these include Lake Trasimene beans, Cannara onions, Trevi black celery and the lentils of Castelluccio di Norcia, a tasty ingredient for soups, main courses or side dishes.
Truffles
Truffles play an important part in many Umbrian dishes, starting from hors d`oeuvres such as crostini al tartufo (made with black truffles), crostini alla norcina (made using anchovies, truffles and chicken liver), and chicken liver crostini (made with chicken liver, capers and a squeeze of lemon). The most common variety is the black truffle, very popular with pasta or with game, especially in the area of Norcia and Spoleto, but more valuable white truffles can be found as well, particularly in the Tiberina Valley, Orvieto and Gubbio. These tubers are ideal both for the preparation of tasty appetizers and with pasta, and are also used in fresh and seasoned cheeses from the area, particularly in Umbrian pecorino cheese or the local formaggio di fossa, seasoned in the soil.
Olive Oil
Everything is seasoned with the golden and fruity olive oil produced in this region, which enhances any dish without upstaging the flavor; Umbrian oil of high quality is awarded with a PDO quality mark (Protected Designation of Origin). Umbria boasts no less than five different DOP denomination varieties: Colli Orvietani, Colli Martani, Colli Amerini, Colli di Assisi-Spoleto, Colli del Trasimeno. Umbria`s largest production center for olive oil is Trevi, around which visitors will be able to admire entire mountain sides given over to the cultivation of this legendary tree.
Chocolates
Umbria also has a long standing history in the production of chocolate. Founded in 1907, the Perugina chocolate factory rose to international popularity and fame with its Baci, made with ground hazelnuts and dark chocolate. The original machinery used in the production of Perugina chocolate is on display at a museum devoted to the history of the factory that opened in 1997. In 1988 Perugina was incorporated into the holdings of the Swiss multinational Nestlé.
Wines
Umbria is particularly suitable for wine growing, and its mild climate gives this land top-quality white and red wines, including, among the many well-known labels, Assisi Grechetto and Sagrantino di Montefalco.