From the snow-capped Alps to the pristine lakes to the flat green countryside, Lombardy plays host to incredible ingredients. Here are eight essential foods of Lombardy that reflect the diverse landscapes of the northern Italian region.
1. Bresaola
This PGI beef salami from Valtellina is made with beef (usually from the tip of the hip) that's been salted and cured for one or two months. Lean and delicate, bresaola goes well with fresh fruit and vegetables in oil.
2. Grana Padano
Today Grana Padano is also produced in other regions of Italy, but it's one of the most emblematic foods of Lombardy as its birth can be traced back to the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Chiaravalle, a district of Milan that's about six miles southeast of the city center. A thousand years ago, the monks began to make a hard cheese so that none of the milk they had at their disposal would go to waste. Aged for up to 16 months, the cheese has a flavor reminiscent of milk and when aged from 17 to 20 months, it becomes a little more intricate with aromas of dried fruit and hay. Cheese aged for 20 months or more becomes a Riserva and has elegant, complex nuances.
3. Goose Salami from Mortara
Goose salumi is rooted in the Jewish communities that settled in this region of southern Lombardy. They created it as an alternative to pork, and it evolved into today's version, which mixes lean goose meat with lean and fat pork which is then flavored with salt, pepper, and herbs, and wrapped in goose skin (usually from the neck). After a few days of rest, the salami is cooked and, once cooled, it's ready. It has a delicately spicy flavor and a soft texture. There's also a kosher version that's completely pork-free.
4. Zucca Mantovana
Also called the “priest's hat”(Capèl da Prèt) for its shape, this pumpkin variety from Mantua has a hard, dry pulp and sweet flavor that makes it quite popular in the kitchen. A classic for ravioli dough as well as the filling of Mantuan ravioli, Zucca Mantovona is also excellent when oven-baked and served as a side dish alongside white meats.
5. Taleggio
Named for the Val Taleggio where it originated, this DOP cheese is fat, short- or medium-aged, with a soft texture and washed rind. Made with cow's milk, it has a strong, subtly sweet flavor that's balanced by acidic notes. It's excellent alongside fruit or melted in polenta and risotto.
6. Bitto
This cow's milk DOP cheese from the mountain pastures and stables of the Orobie Alps. The cooked semi-hard cheese is produced in cylindrical shapes of 17-26 lb (8-12 kilos). It has a delicate flavor with traces of mountain herbs. In addition to the Bitto DOP, there is the Storico Ribelle, or "historic rebel" variety. This Slow Food Presidium cheese has even more rigid production guidelines than the DOP. Fun fact: It appeared in the Lombardy episode of Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy.
7. Salami di Varzi
Another product whose origins can be traced back to monks, but in this case the Benedictine order who, at the start of the Middle Ages, found the right mix of lean pork and fat, salt, and spices. Today it holds DOP status and is among the finest salamis in Italy. It was born in the Staffora Valley, in the Oltrepò Pavese, an area around 40 miles south of Milan. It undergoes a long aging process that results in a sweet and delicate flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
8. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil from Lake Garda
This olive oil is among Italy's most sought-after thanks to its elegant and delicate flavor and its light aromas of fresh grass and artichokes. This DOP product is produced with the Casaliva, Frantoio, and Leccino olives and may have the additional geographical indications of Bresciano, Orientale, and Trentino. All reflect the particular microclimate of Lake Garda, which also allows the cultivation of citrus fruits further north of Italy.