Characteristic products and terroir
Farmers in Lombardy produce over a third of the country's milk. The result is a wide range of cheeses. Gorgonzola is one of the region's best-known cheeses, named after a village near Milan. There's also taleggio, a square cheese with a soft, melting texture, and the famous grana padano, a cousin of parmesan. The latter, called parmigiano reggiano, is produced between Modena and Mantua.
In the Alps, different types of hard tommes can be tasted, such as bitto or valtellina casera, produced in Valtellina, north of Lombardy. Fontina comes from the Valle d'Aosta, but is also widespread here. Formaggella luinese is one of the few goat's milk cheeses produced in the region. Finally, there are fresh cheeses such as quartirolo lombardo, a white square cheese. Provolone valpadana is a spun cheese shaped like a pear. Mascarpone - produced between Lombardy and Piedmont - is made by coagulating milk cream.
Lombardy's cured meats include bresaola and slinzega, two types of dried meat - pork, horse, game and beef - from Valtellina. Violino, a dried goat's ham, originates from the town of Chiavenna. Salame Milano is a large sausage combining pork, beef and spices. Mortadella Bologna, despite its name, is widely produced throughout the north of the country. There are also several types of cooking sausage, such as luganega, produced in northern Italy and Switzerland, or strinù, a variety of small pork and beef sausage. Finally, cotechino is a thick sausage with pork meat, fat and rind, often cooked with lentils.
The lakes and rivers are home to lavaret, perch, pike and, in the high mountains, trout. Lombardy shares almost all the country's rice production with Piedmont. The famous arborio rice is used in many risotto recipes. Polenta - a cornmeal pasta typical of northern Italy - is very popular here.
Antipasti, pasta and risotto
A traditional Lombard meal begins with antipasti (appetizers). These often include cold cuts, cheese, vegetables and pickled mushrooms. There are also some hot antipasti, such as polpette di verza, breaded croquettes of kale, potato and sometimes cheese. Originally from Valtellina, sciatt are croquettes made from buckwheat flour and mountain cheese (bitto or casera). Mondeghili are breaded beef and mortadella dumplings.
Margottini alla bergamasca are cheese puffs with egg yolk inside. Lumache alla milanese are snails with butter, anchovies, garlic, parsley and fennel seeds, while rane in guazzetto are frogs' legs browned with white wine, parsley and tomato. Asparagus is very popular, such as asparagi alla milanese, with a fried egg and grana padano cheese.
In Italy, pasta or rice are considered starters (primo). In Lombardy, stuffed pasta is appreciated, such as marubini cremonesi (stuffed with minced meat, mortadella, sausage and grana padano), served with broth. To prepare agnolotti pavesi, first cook a stufato alla pavese (beef stew with wine, carrot, celery and spices), which is chopped to make a stuffing.
Sweet-savory combinations are common with tortelli di zucca mantovani (pumpkin purée, Cremona mustard, parmesan and amaretti powder) or casoncelli alla bergamasca (minced meat, bacon, amaretti powder, grana padano and raisins). The surprising tortelli cremaschi are filled with a mixture of amaretti, candied citrus peel, spiced mostaccino cookies, raisins, Marsala wine and grana padano.
Other pasta recipes include pizzoccheri, buckwheat tagliatelle typical of the Valtellina mountains, often prepared with cheese, potatoes and cabbage. Gnocchi di zucca (squash) are very popular, and gnocchetti della Valchiavenna (made with potatoes and bread) are served with a butter sauce and mountain cheese. Polenta is served with buckwheat flour (polenta taragna) in Valtellina, or with cheese (polenta concia) around Lake Como. Bruscitti is a finely chopped beef stew cooked in red wine and served with polenta.
The star of the region remains risotto, particularly risotto alla milanese or risotto giallo (yellow), flavored with saffron. But the recipes are legion, containing mushrooms, a variety of vegetables and, of course, meat. Risotto alla monzese contains sausage meat and saffron. Riso in cagnone may look like risotto, but it's actually cooked rice bound with butter, cheese and sage.
Soups are popular favourites. The famous minestrone alla milanese soup contains potato, celery, bean, carrot, kale, leek, tomato and, of course, rice, as well as a little bacon. The simpler zuppa alla pavese consists of a meat broth with toasted bread and grated cheese, decorated with a raw egg yolk. Finally, minestra mariconda is a meat broth with bread dumplings, egg and cheese.
Meat and fish
Meat and fish dishes are called secondi in Italy. The region's great classic is escalope alla milanese or cotoletta alla milanese. It is said to have been served at the Sforza court, but the invention is claimed by the Viennese. However, the two recipes do differ in some respects, as true Milanese-style escalope needs to be a little thick and may contain a rib, whereas Viennese escalope is very thin and boneless. So it's hard to say who came up with the idea first.
The other star in Lombardy isosso buco alla milanese. This recipe consists of a veal shank with the marrow bone, confit in a mixture of tomato, onion, carrot, celery and white wine. At the end of cooking, gremolata, a chopped mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon zest, is added. Rarely, osso buco is served with saffron risotto, which is normally eaten as an appetizer rather than a side dish. Stracotto di bue is a simple beef stew with wine, vegetables and spices, while rustin negàa is a dish of veal chops simmered in a broth with onion, carrot, celery and herbs.
Offal dishes include busecca or trippa alla milanese, tripe in tomato sauce with white beans. Cassoeula is a winter dish prepared with pork offal, sausage and kale. Bollito misto is a mixture of beef or poultry cuts - meat and offal - with sausages and vegetables, cooked in a court-bouillon and served with salsa verde (parsley, cooked egg yolk, anchovies, vinegar, breadcrumbs) or mostarda cremonese. This surprising condiment is a blend of candied fruit, vinegar and essential mustard oil. In Italian, classic mustard is called "senape".
A speciality of Lake Como, missoltini are prepared with dried shad - a freshwater fish - preserved with bay leaves. Lavarello in carpione is a recipe for white fish with carrot, onion, white wine and herbs. Meat and fish are not automatically served with a side dish. You'll need to order a contorno, based on vegetables or mushrooms.
Dolci e caffè
In Lombardy, you can enjoy classic Italian desserts such as tiramisù, panna cotta and gelati (ice cream), which Italians love. The very popular semifreddo is a meringue and chantilly-based dessert served iced, in an infinite variety of flavors. Coffee in Italy is often delicious, even in the most modest establishments.
The star of the region is the panettone. This brioche, well known in France, is traditionally prepared for Christmas. Normally topped with raisins and candied citrus peel, today you'll find something to suit every taste: chocolate, coffee, pistachio, nougat, fruit and more. Although it is thought to have originated in the 15th century, it was in 1919 that pastry chef Angelo Motta gave it its typical domed shape. He is also the inventor of the colomba di Pasqua, a dove-shaped brioche filled with almonds and pearl sugar, prepared for Easter. Chiacchiere are crunchy diamond-shaped doughnuts prepared for Carnival, while carsenza is an apple and raisin pudding made for New Year's Day.
Torta bertolda or bertoldina is a soft lemon and cornflour cake. In Bergamo, people prefer polenta e osei, small soft cakes soaked in rum, filled with praline-cocoa cream and covered with yellow marzipan. Torrone di Cremona is a variety of white nougat with almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and more. Also worth mentioning are amaretti di Saronno, almond cookies similar to macaroons.
Wines and liquors
Lombardy produces many excellent red and white wines. Important vineyards include Oltrepó Pavese, south of Pavia, which produces Barbera and Bonarda. Lambrusco Mantovano, the famous wine of Mantua, is a sparkling, fresh red. The sunny terraces of Valtellina produce Nebbiolo, a top-quality red. Franciacorta is a hilly region between Brescia and Lake Iseo specializing in the production of sparkling white wines. Also worth mentioning are the reds of San Colombano (Lodi), Valcalepio (Bergamo) and those of the Mantova region (Oltrepò Mantovano).
Among strong spirits, it's impossible to miss grappa. This grape marc brandy - white or amber in color - is produced throughout northern Italy and has a strength of around 40°. Amaretto originates from the town of Saronno. This almond liqueur - between 21 and 28° - can also be made with peach or apricot stones. Finally, braulio is a digestif from the Valtellina mountains, produced by distilling various aromatic herbs, berries and roots.
The Campari group was founded in Milan in 1860. Its products include Campari and Aperol, two bitters made with herbs, spices and orange peel, used in the famous spritz cocktail (with sparkling wine and sparkling water) and pirlo (with white wine and sparkling water). Fernet-Branca was also founded in Milan in 1845. It produces, among other things, Fernet, a bitter - made with spices and herbs - on a grappa base, drunk as a digestive. This drink became extremely popular in Argentina with the arrival of Italian migrants in the 19th century.
