Local cuisine is heavily influenced by Austrian and Tyrolean cooking, and typical regional produce includes salamis, cold cuts, cheeses and apples.
The most common starters you’ll find are platters of mixed cheeses, salamis and cold cuts, especially Speck, a lightly smoked, cured ham; Carne Salada, raw beef conserved in salt, and Ciuiga, a typical salami made with pork and turnip. The numerous typical local cheeses include Zighera della Valfloriana and Nostrano Rumes.
A very common one-course meal is polenta, served with a variety of condiments and sauces, such as Smacafam, prepared with sausage and lard and baked in the oven. Smacafam is also used to make a delicious savory pie.
A popular first course is Canederli, large dumplings made with bread and meat and served in stock or with butter and sage; they’re often filled with speck or local cheeses. I can also recommend Spätzle, small gnocchi made with flour, water and eggs; you can try a variety of types made, for instance, with nettles or spinach. But if you’re looking for a first course that originated here in Trento, then you must try Strangolapreti (meaning priest-chokers!) created on the occasion of the Council of Trent: small gnocchi made with stale bread and spinach.
Meat is the most common choice for main courses, although you’ll also find a variety of dishes made with eel. Especially common are different types of roasts and stews made with venison.
As for desserts, don’t miss Fiadoni alla trentina, puff pastry filled with nuts, honey and spices; Strudel, another puff pastry specialty filled with apples, or Zelten, a typical cake from this area made with nuts, figs and candied fruit, prepared in Trento with a recipe specific to the city.
An interesting fact: Trento produces excellent wines which are famous worldwide. Any idea how many typical local wines you can try here? 73, including some excellent sparkling wines.
What else can I say but … Buon appetito!
