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Gastronomic culture

The province of Cuneo is a land of great culinary traditions, featuring an array of fine dishes based on ancient recipes and a long culinary tradition. The typical local dishes, have all retained their traditional, simple and genuine qualities, using locally grown seasonal produce. The local produce is in fact of excellent quality, featuring beef from prized Piedmont cattle breeds, as well as excellent pig and sheep breeds. The mountain lands also offer a host of other fine products ranging from mushrooms to chestnuts, from the trout of the Alpine rivers, to forest fruits, from hazel-nuts to the exquisite truffles. The local cuisine has in fact shown a capacity for combining tradition, and fine quality which has made its dishes famous the world over. Pride of place must go to the truffle, a true gourmet's delight, which is especially delicious finely grated over starters, first and second course dishes. This is also the home of excellent cheeses, with no less than five doc cheeses: the finest of all being the highly prized Castelmagno cheese of the Grana valley, the Toma (soft cheese) of Murazzano, not to mention its Bra, Raschera and Grana Padano varieties, as well as a host of other cheeses produced in all the valleys, from Toma cheese to goat cheeses. It is therefore difficult to define a single typical type of Cuneo or Piedmontese cuisine, because within a short radius of only a hundred kilometres there is such a wealth of gastronomic variety making it impossible to identify any common features. The typical Alpine cuisine is essentially poor, featuring filling first course dishes as well as unique types of meat such as Sambuco mutton. Cuneo cuisine also comes into its own, in the preparation of desserts and confectionery, the local chestnuts being transformed into delicious marrons glacés; not to mention the rum filled Cuneesi chocolates. The typical cuisine of the Mondovì has clear Ligurian and Arab influences, its Saracen polenta being one example, while the cuisine of the Alba and Langa areas makes great use of the truffle, with a host of delicious dishes as well as a whole range of starters, first course dishes, and meat dishes often in the form of stewed or boiled meat, served with "bagnet verd" (a fresh parsley and garlic sauce), as well as a whole range of desserts ranging from hazel-nut cake with zabaione to the typical "Bonet", a delicious cold dessert made using chocolate and hazel-nuts. We must also give a mention to two highly unique dishes: the very rich mixed fry dish, which consists of a mixture of different fried meat, sweetmeats and fruit; and the "Bagna caôda", a sauce made using garlic, anchovies and olive oil which is served hot as a dip for seasonal vegetables such as: peppers, cardoons, cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes, celery and potatoes.