Trentino-Alto Adige - The Special Flavor Of Italian Cuisine

Italian cuisine, influenced by different cultures andpeople of this region to prepare and appreciate
eras, has an interesting history. It is afine cuisine. This is one of the best examples of
conglomeration of ideas, which together form ahow historical events can shape a region's cuisine.
characteristic Italian flavor that differentiates ifOther Influences
from the cuisine of other regions in the world. It isThe Hapsburg Empire and the Republic of Venice
precisely this fact that makes it one of the hotalso influenced the cuisine of this region. Slav,
favorites of the world.Hungarian, and Austrian cuisines also had a great
The best example of the influence of history onpart to play. Again, one would wonder what role
Italian cuisine is Trentino-Alto Adige, a region inthese cuisines, so different from Italian cuisine,
Italy. A large number of external factors haveplay in the shaping of the Italian taste.
played an important role in shaping the cuisine ofThe Unique Elements of This Cuisine
this region. It is an amazing blend of popular ItalianWhile the rest of country usually uses sea fish in
recipes and the specific, unique flavor of thismost of its cuisine, this region is famous for its
region.supply of fresh fish. In spite of the foreign
Before the mid-sixteenth century, the cuisine ofinfluences, the region specializes in dishes,
Trentino-Alto Adige was extremely simple. Thecommonly thought to be typical Italian, such as
inhabitants ate only to keep body and soultomatoes, pasta, and olive oil, in addition to a
together. The cuisine had far to go and a lot tovariety of other Italian dishes such as sauerkraut,
develop. Many historical events that took placedumplings, and potatoes. On Sundays, Goulash is
after this lent a distinct shape and flavor to thecommonly served.
cuisine of this region.Those who are conscious of their health should
Council of Trentnote that one of the popular ingredients of the
The Council of Trent was the first event ofregion's cuisine is lard. If saturated fat is not good
significance that changed the cuisine of this regionfor you, you should inquire about the ingredients
for the better in 1550, the year in which it wasused in the food of this region. Many chefs
organized.consider lard to be the best ingredient in the
This council was an Ecumenical Council of thepreparation of certain delicacies. Needless to say,
Roman Catholic Church, organized to find ways ofItalian chefs have no second thoughts about it.
countering the rise of Protestant Reformation.Here is a list of unique items that are found in this
One would wonder how such an event, whichregion alone. One of these delicacies is potato
bore no connection whatsoever to cuisine,dumplings with ricotta. Dumplings, though not
influenced the food habits of the inhabitants ofcommonly associated with Italian cuisine, is quite
this region.common in this area. Canerdeli, made out of
The religious officials who participated in thisleftover bread, is a special dumpling found only in
event, were gourmets who appreciated finethis region. The region also has its own particular
cuisine, which was why this event inspired thesauerkraut with a dish of stuffed chicken.