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Torino, Italy – Home to Great Food
In a country where it is difficult to find a bad meal, Torino, Italy is known for its culinary excellence. Perhaps their success lies in the heavy use of eggs, cream, butter and fresh ingredients. Or maybe it is their sheer enjoyment in the preparation and consumption of a meal. After all Torino, Italy is not far from Bra, Italy the home of the slow food movement.
Fresh ingredients are the key to success in cooking a good meal, and that is particularly true in Torino, Italy. Herbs are picked from window boxes, vegetables are dug up in backyard gardens and local produce is purchased at fresh food markets.
As in the rest of Italy, anchovies are used in many dishes. The flavor is subtle, so even if you are not normally a fan of anchovies give them a try. Most likely you will be pleasantly surprised.
Bagna Caôda is a traditional start to a meal in Torino, Italy. Bagna Caôda is a sauce made of garlic, olive oil, butter, anchovies and occasionally truffles. The sauce is served in a small earthenware pot that is kept hot while it is served. Vegetables are then dipped in the sauce.
The Piedmont region of Italy has its own breed of cattle that is used in many of its traditional dishes such as bollito misto. A typical beef stew, bollito misto is usually made with four or more meats. Beef and chicken are staples of the dish and are often mixed with any other meats that are available. If you are not an adventurous eater, be sure to ask what is included or you may be surprised at what you find. The stew is served with a green sauce made from parsley, garlic, anchovies, olive oil and other ingredients according to the preference of the cook.
Torino, Italy is perhaps best known for the white truffle, a rare food that is sought by cooks and gourmands around the world. And rare is the person who can afford white truffles as they generally sell for between $2,500 and $3,500 per pound. The white truffle season runs from September through December. During the season many towns around Torino have truffle fairs and auctions.
Tonda Gentile is a local, sweet hazelnut from the Torino area. The Tonda Gentile is used in everything from curing meats to baking breads. It is common to find these nuts in salads, pasta's, deserts and perhaps most commonly in a wide variety of chocolate candies.
Of course bread is a staple at every Italian meal. In Torino, you are likely to find Grissini, a long, thin, crispy breadstick served with your meal.
Only a few of Torino, Italy's delicacies are listed here. Not mentioned are dishes made from the fresh trout caught in the local rivers and streams, the local salami's, polenta (a yellow corn mash) dishes made with fontina cheese and truffles or risotto dishes made from locally grown rice. Cheese is eaten at the end of the meal in Italy. The local cheeses produced in the area around Torino, Italy are so special and important that they that are recognized and protected by the Italian government.
In an area where butter is used as often as olive oil and sauces are served on meats and vegetables as well as pasta's it is difficult to find a bad meal. If you are one of the rare and unfortunate souls who do find that bad meal find a local chocolatier and buy a baci dama or “lady’s kisses”. These wonderful candies made from hazlenut halves and chocolate are famous in Torino, Italy.
Posted by Jackie on February 19, 2026
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