MEAT AND VITELLO TONNATO
Vitello tonnato, raw beef cut by knife and other beef dishes are among the cuisine’s most recognisable expressions.
A Piedmontese classic
Vitello tonnato is one of Piedmont’s most recognisable dishes. Veal is paired with a savoury tuna-based sauce in a combination that has become part of the region’s gastronomic identity.
Raw beef cut by knife
Carne cruda al coltello expresses a different idea of cooking: few ingredients, close attention to raw material and a precise knife cut rather than grinding the meat.
Technique and restraint
These dishes reveal an important trait of Piedmontese cooking: clear flavours, precise techniques and sauces that support rather than hide the main ingredient.
Two very different ways to talk about meat
Vitello tonnato and knife-cut raw beef look like opposites, but together they explain Piedmontese cooking well: technique and sauce on one side, nearly naked raw material on the other.
What to look for
In vitello tonnato the sauce should not hide everything; in raw beef you should still perceive the cut. Small details, but useful ones when judging traditional dishes.
