Mar

17

A trip to Bolzano: a glimpse inside the Tyrolean cuisine

March 17, 2009 | 7 Comments

Walther Square

Italy, as I always say, is a land of many facets, some of them have a few aspects in common, some others are completely different from each other. One place that doesn’t have so much in common with the rest of Italy is Bolzano, in the Trentino Alto Adige region. I love to go to Bolzano and I often recommend others to go visit it too. If you’re not aware Bolzano became Italian right after the first world war before then it was part of South Tyrol. The city is bilingual (German-Italian) and even if a century almost has passed it still seems to be in an Austrian city. I love the architecture, some buildings are similar to those in Innsbruck. The typical cuisine is Tyrolean influenced by the Italian cuisine and the population that has lived in this territory in the past 2000 years.

You can easily access to Bolzano either by train or by car. It has numerous parking ramps. One is right close to the train station which is right next to the historical city center. The fulcrum of the city is in Walther square with its characteristic buildings, cafes, restaurants and the dome. It’s the square that every Christmas hosts the famous Christmas market filled with small wooden houses that sell Christmas decorations made in wood, glass or ceramic. The right place to find original Christmas presents from the Mittel-European tradition. You’ll also find Christmas cookies, the Lebkuchen (chocolate spiced cookies) and cakes like the well known Zelten made with dry figs, raisins, almonds, candied fruit flavored with cinnamon and cloves. While you’re enjoying these moments I suggest you to warm up yourself with Apfelsaft (warm spiced cider juice). The atmosphere is enchanted with many lights and decorations throughout the city but this city doesn’t loose its charm if you go in any other period of the year. The center of the city can be easily visited in one day, don’t miss the Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology) with the famous mummy Ötzi, the man who came from the ice. The Dominican church the first Gothic construction in South Tirol with its famous frescoes – in the chapter house and John chapel – by the scholars of Giotto. The vibrant Piazza delle Erbe (Square of the herbs), which is not actually a square but one of the nicer streets in Bolzano with its daily fruit and vegetable market. If you want to go shopping the characteristic Lauben or Portici (porticos) are the right place for you.

Lauben

I usually like to go to Bolzano during the Advent to visit the market but this year I waited and I accompanied my mother in law and niece in February. We found a marvelous day: a clear blue sky, the mountains surrounding the city were covered by snow a perfect day to visit the city, its monuments and surroundings. We had lunch at my favorite restaurant, the Cavallino Bianco (Weisses Rössl)* a historical institution where you can savor the local Tyrolean cuisine in a typical ambiance at decent prices. The service is quick, waiters are really friendly and mainly German speaking. An interesting characteristic of this place is that you can find yourself sitting together with strangers. If there’s an empty place at the table someone may sit down there to eat. The place is always crowded day and night but it’s relaxing at the same time.

Bolzano cuisine is mainly Tyrolean, rustic and simple as a cuisine from the mountains should be. It’s not rich or sophisticated but robust, tasty and very satisfying. Bread has an important role in it and you’ll notice by walking in the center and seeing the numerous bakeries with its mouthwatering breads and sweets. I always have to control myself from running inside and emptying the whole place. Paarlbrot (couple of bread) made with rye flour flavored with anise, fennel seeds, kummel and coriander, Schwarzbrot (black bread) but my favorite of all is Schüttelbrot really, crispy thin flatbread made with rye, wheat flour, sesame, fennel and cumin seeds. Schuttelbrot is the perfect accompaniment to speck. Speck which is another pillar of the Tyrolean cuisine, pork meat spiced, then cold-smoked on juniper wood and aged for 22 weeks. I like it as an appetizer first sliced in a thick piece and then cut in thin strips.

There’s an old proverb that actually sums up the basics of the Tyrolean cuisine: Knödel, Nüdeln, Nocken, Plenten sein die vier Tiroler Elementen (Knödel, Noodles, Gnocchi and Polenta are the Tyrolean four elements). Among the four main dishes the Knödel – canderli in Italian – occupies the place of honor and I should say it’s my favorite too. Knödel are bread dumplings made with old dry bread, softened with eggs and milk and flavored in different ways with cheese, speck, buckwheat flour or liver for a total of about ten varieties. They’re served as a first course in broth or “dry” as a side dish topped with melted butter together with Goulash or other meats, sausages, salad.

On my last visit at Il Cavallino Bianco, I took the “Piatto del contadino” a huge dish with one Specknödel  grilled meat, smoked pork chop, würstel, sausages, sauerkraut and roasted potatoes. I know I exaggerated a little bit. My niece on the other hand being vegetarian chose Käseknödel, the cheese Knödel with vegetables. Her dish was really tempting, the knödel was placed in the middle of the dish topped with melted butter, surrounded by cooked spinach, boiled carrots, stir fried red cabbage and a small portion of salad. I tasted it and it was really good so the other day I decided to give it a try seeing that I had a lot of dry bread on hand and they came out really well. If you want to taste them check out the recipe “Canederli al formaggio” on Cooking with Patty you won’t regret it.

To end on a sweet note, if you have a sweet tooth, you should try Strudel - you’ll find it everywhere in Bolzano – the classic one is filled with apples and cinnamon or you can taste the version with dry apricots and ricotta a real delight. There are numerous other choices, Sacher Torte, Black Forest cake (the real one), buckwheat flour cake filled with red berries jam, Linzer Torte and Krafen (Berliner Pfannkuchen) made from sweet yeast dough fried and filled with cream or apricot jam. The list is longer but I’m sure you would be happy to discover it yourself.

The City Hall



Piazza delle Erbe

*Note: Cavallino Bianco (Weisses Rössl) in Via Dei Bottai, 6 – phone: +39 0471 973267.

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Comments

7 Comments so far

  1. Malvinia on March 18, 2009 1:44 am

    I really enjoyed reading about her trip and the different things in the city. It was almost like I was there. Keep up the good work Patty

  2. R Clay Beckers on March 18, 2009 1:29 pm

    This is the only reference I’ve ever seen to Speck, which my German grandmother made for us when I was a child. I’d love a recipe as hers passed with her, many years ago.

  3. Louise Picardo Hundertmark on March 18, 2009 8:20 pm

    Thanks for the memories–it spurs our wish to return again to the Tirol! We were lucky to be in Merano a few years ago during the Harvest & Band festival. The parade floats were work-horse drawn carts celebrating wine/grapes, wheat, apples & interspersed with bands from the many villages that dot the Tirol. We were delighted to hear a band playing “Tequila”, a Univ. Of Washington marching band staple. Even more delighted was my friend, Shirley Bissell, widow of Bill,its long time leader, when I brought her the photos of a Tirolean band playing Tequila in the Dolomites!

  4. admin on March 26, 2009 6:22 am

    @Malvinia: Thank you for your support, I’m glad you liked it.

    @R Clay: I’m sorry but I’ve never made speck before, it’s not so common to make it here usually we buy it made. You can also find it in the States but make sure it is stated “Speck Alto Adige PGI”.

    @Louise: I’m happy this post brought you some nice memories back. I imagine it was a real surprise for you to hear the band in Merano playing “Tequila”. It’s amazing to discover how little the world is sometimes.

  5. Mike and Gigliola Reeves on April 11, 2009 12:23 pm

    I tried to post this at the Canderli recipe on your Web site but was unable to do so but maybe it will take my comments here.

    Canderli was a dish Gigliola and I enjoyed at a trattoria in the Dolomite a couple years ago. I loved it.

    I am looking forward to trying it again during an upcoming visit next month. You know what? Some of the best food I have eaten in Italy has come from visits to Refugios in the mountains around Veneto and Trentino. Its the simple things in life (and in food) that provide me with the most pleasure. While Gigliola spends time with her sisters, I plan to do some hiking on my own in the hills above Verona. I may even venture up to Giazza.

    Last night we made Tiramisu from your recipe. It is waiting in the refrigerator for the family on Easter Sunday. We also liked the look of the Crema Cotta you featured recently. So much food! So little time!

    Your Web site has become a staple for us.

    Regards,
    Mike & Gigliola

  6. admin on April 17, 2009 11:38 am

    @Mike: I’ll check out why you couldn’t post your comment on cooking with patty and I’ll let you know.
    It’s always a pleasure to get news from you and Gigliola I hope all is well with you two.
    I completely agree with you about the wonderful food you can taste by the alpine refuges in the Trentino and Veneto regions. I’m also found of Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta where some of my relatives live. As a matter of fact I go to Piemonte every year and eating at my favorite refuge is always a required part of my vacation. I hope you had a nice Easter.
    Patty

  7. Speck puff pastry twists on a barbecue evening : Not Only Pizza on August 16, 2009 12:31 pm

    [...] A few weeks ago we were invited over to the neighbor’s house for a barbecue and when we arrived the table was beautifully decorated with colored glasses filled with puff pastry twists. I have a particular and irresistible love for finger food and I couldn’t stop eating them. At first glance I thought they were the usual kind made with Parmesan cheese, but these were much much better. They had Parmesan cheese but they were also enriched with thin slices of speck, a cold cut typical of the Tyrolean cuisine (see: a glimpse into the Tyrolean cuisine). [...]

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