PASTA, RICE AND FIRST COURSES
Agnolotti, tajarin, gnocchi and risotto show the variety of regional traditions.
Two geographies in one cuisine
Piedmontese first courses come from very different landscapes. The eastern plains are rice country, while hills and inland areas developed strong traditions of egg pasta and filled pasta.
Agnolotti and tajarin
Agnolotti and tajarin belong to festive, family-based cooking and to skilled handwork. Fillings, roast juices, pasta thickness and egg proportions vary from home to home and from one territory to another.
Piedmontese rice
The areas around Vercelli, Novara and Biella shaped an agricultural landscape dominated by rice fields. Risotto is therefore directly tied to one of the region’s major farming economies.
Agnolotti or tajarin?
If it is your first time, try both on separate occasions. Agnolotti are filled and may come with roast juices or butter; tajarin are very thin and work best with sauces that do not overwhelm them. They are two very different expressions of Piedmontese pasta.
And then there is rice
Rice belongs fully to the Piedmontese landscape, especially in the eastern plains. A good risotto is not a Lombardy detour: it is part of the regional cuisine and deserves the same attention as pasta.
