Of course, when it comes to the Giro d’Italia we could wax lyrical about all the great riders, all the fantastic climbs, and all the legendary battles. But as well as bikes, Italy is especially famous for another thing: incredible food. Here’s a look at some of the tastiest traditional dishes from the regions visited by the Giro. While the racing may satisfy your inner roady, all this should satisfy your inner foody!
- Bucatini all’Amatriciana (Lazio)
Amatriciana might have become one of the best-known pasta sauces in the world, but to really get a proper taste of it you have to visit the town where it originated — Amatrice, among the Rieti mountain. Made from guanciale (cured pork cheek) pecorino cheese, and tomato, the sauce has the status of being Lazio’s ‘Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale’ — meaning it’s effectively officially protected as a traditional Italian regional food product.
What’s it like for cyclists?
As with all pasta dishes you’ll find plenty of carbs in a plate of Bucatini all’Amatriciano, while the sauce itself has a bit of fat, fibre and some good protein from the pork. Purely from a health point of view, the more tomato-ey it is, the better.
Bucatini all’Amatriciana; image from BBC Good Food
- Camprese Salad (Campania)
Most of the food of Campania is based on inexpensive ingredients, like pasta, herbs, vegetables and fish, and the Caprese salad is an equally simple dish, made of sliced, fresh mozzarella (although it’s even better with more expensive ‘mozzarella di bufala’), tomatoes and basil, and seasoned with salt and olive oil. For culinary artists, it’s made to resemble the colours of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.
What’s it like for cyclists?
There’s some good stuff in mozzarella, such as niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, biotin and vitamin B6 — good for healthy skin, vision and the formation of red blood cells. Mozzarella also contains fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D and E, which are important for bone growth.
Caprese Salad; images from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
- Scapece de Licette (Molise)
A specialty of the Molise region in southern Italy, Scapece de Licette is a dish of anchovies marinated in vinegar. The word ‘scapece’ is actually a distorted version of the Arabic ‘iskebegh’, which refers to the method used to prepare and preserve fried foods by soaking them in vinegar, garlic and herbs. It’s a technique that has traditionally been used throughout southern Italy and even became a favourite dish of Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II.
What’s it like for cyclists?
In truth, there’s not much to mention in vinegar, although some studies have shown it can help with weight management, and balsamic vinegar can reduce triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. On the other hand, anchovies are packed full of protein, essential fatty acids, iron and other vitamins and minerals.
Scapece de Licette; image from Academia Barilla
- Focaccia (throughout Italy)
Focaccia is a delicious bread that’s traditionally baked all across Italy, with different areas and local ingredients helping to create a wide range of versions throughout the country. The Ligurian-style focaccia is a real delight with a crisp, golden crust, courtesy of plenty of olive oil and salt. Just as good as a snack, as with a meal.
What’s it like for cyclists?
Not much to say. Focaccia contains a small amount of fat, sugar and dietary fibre, but a lot more carbohydrate. There’s even some protein thrown in, too.
Focaccia; image from BBC Food Recipes
- Vino (Tuscany)
Whole books have been dedicated to Italian wine, so what can we tell you here? Well, the grape-growing region par excellence is Tuscany, where you’ll find wine varieties such as Chianti — Tuscany’s largest classified wine region producing over eight million cases a year — and Morellino di Scansano, named after either the ‘morello’ colour of the region’s horses or the dark red morello cherry.
What’s it like for cyclists?
Obviously we wouldn’t recommend filling up your water bottle with the stuff, and there’s a fair few calories in a tipple, too. But red wine does contain resveratrol which helps heart health, so you could excuse having a glass or two!
Tuscany is one of Italy’s best known wine-producing regions and most famous for its Chianti Classico; image from AllTuscany.com
- Salumi Emiliani (Emilia-Romagna)
Just like Italy’s national cycle race the Giro d’Italia, the cured meats of Emilia-Romagna are famous throughout the world. Some of the most popular products originate in Modena, such as Cotechino di Modena — a juicy, cooked pork sausage — and Zampone, a pig’s trotter stuffed with ground pork, pork rinds, and spices. If that all seems a bit extreme for delicate British constitutions, there’s plenty of traditional salamis available, too.
What’s it like for cyclists?
Not so good, this one. High in fat, and especially saturated fat, these kinds of cured meats might not benefit heart health, but a little in moderation won’t hurt.
Salumi Emiliani; image from salumeriasimoni.it
- Risotto alla Milanese (Lombardy)
Saffron gives Risotto alla Milanese its traditional golden colour, although it’s also perfectly acceptable to garnish the dish with real gold leaf. (Yes, real gold!) Risotto alla Milanese is one of the most typical first courses in Lombardy — the region that Luigi Ganna, the first rider to win the Giro, was born in.
What’s it like for cyclists?
Saffron has some medicinal properties and has been used as an antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-oxidant, digestive and anti-convulsant. It also contains many vital vitamins, including vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C. Gold leaf doesn’t have much going for it other than ostentation.
Risotto alla Milanese; image from Home Italian Recipes
- Crepes with Treviso Radicchio (Veneto)
A recipe from the Veneto region of Italy, this dishes balances the bitter taste of the radicchio (also know as Italian chicory) with the far more subtle flavour of the bechamel sauce. The Veneto region’s wide range of terrain and landscape is reflected in its equally varied cuisine, with the area also being known for Asiago cheese, and sweets from Venice such as Scalete, Pandolo, and Baicoli.
What’s it like for cyclists?
You’ll find little to complain about in radicchio, with it being a very good source of vitamins C, E and K, potassium, copper and manganese. It’s also a good source of dietary fibre, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.
Crepes with Treviso Radicchio, image from Academia Barilla
- Veal ribs with Fontina cheese (Aosta Valley)
Here’s something a little special, and it takes a little bit of culinary engineering as the cheese is sliced and inserted into the veal chops, but the result is a taste-bud-tingling delight. If you think cooking up the dish is unnecessarily tricky, it’s only fitting when you consider the ingredients. Fontina — one of Italy’s most famous and ancient Italian cheeses dating back to at least the 13th century — is created using milk sourced exclusively from one type of cow found in the Aosta Valley, and once made, has to be aged in caves for three months.
What’s it like for cyclists?
Don’t ask. Lots of cheese and meat, dipped in flower, egg and breadcrumbs then heavily fried in butter, isn’t the food of champion athletes. One for that post-sportive celebration, we reckon.
Veal ribs with Fontina cheese; image from Bell’Alimento
- Tartufo Piemontese (Piedmont)
The regions of Alba and Mondovi don’t do any old white truffles, they’re the source of the world’s most expensive white truffles — Tartufo Piemontese. They make a perfect accompaniment to one of the region’s most popular pastas — tajarin, very thin tagliatelli made from very eggy pasta dough. Piedmont in north-western Italy is home to Alpine mountains, soft rolling hills, and flat plains. So, with that kind of variety to train on, it’s no wonder that locally-born rider Fausto Coppi would go on to become a five-time Giro winner.
What’s it like for cyclists?
We all know that pasta is good for carbohydrates. Meanwhile 80% of a truffle is water, although they also provide minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. But, as one commentator says: “The value of the truffle does not lie in its nutritional contribution, but in its huge capacity to overwhelm the consumer with pleasure.”
‘Trufa blanca de Alba’ the ‘white truffle of Alba’; two sold in auction in 2013 for 90.000 €!
Buon appetito!