MANTUA'S GASTRONOMIC DELIGHTS

Mantua, city of art and culture, a delight for the mind and spirit, but also Mantua capital of the flavours of Italian cuisine.
In the middle of the fertile Po Valley, Mantua distinguishes itself for the peculiarities of its history and geographical location in a territory which borders on seven different provinces. It is in the far south-east of Lombardy, with Veneto and Emilia Romagna close at hand. Flavours from land and water make Mantuan cookery so special, as well as the particular combination between the splendid Gonzaga cuisine and the unsophisticated food of popular tradition: "a cuisine of princes and common people" indeed, which offers a great variety of typical dishes and a wide selection of traditional recipes, often skilfully reinvented by Mantuan chefs. When seated at table here no-one can fail to recognize the Mantuan delights and flavours and the genuine quality of the products.

The typical Mantuan meal, which is always accompanied from beginning to end by a variety of traditional types of bread, starts normally with an appetizer of grèpole (scraps of bacon fat) or polenta e gras pistà (slices of grilled polenta with lard minced with garlic and parsley) and the exquisite pork salumi, among which dominates the Mantua-made salame, unique in the artful mixture of spices and, especially, the presence of garlic; in season, salame or ham is often served with delicious melon, which grows in the three districts of Viadana, Sermide and Rodigo.

Among the other specialities, worthy of mention is the chisolìna (a small, thin and crispy kind of focaccia) and chisòla (focaccia) in its several varieties, normally good for breakfast and snacks, but often served with appetizers.

Delicious soups then follow, with agnolini ( a home-made kind of ravioli filled with a stewed meat mixture) or very fine tagliatelle (noodles) in beef broth or again maltagliati (literally: badly cut noodles) in a vegetable and bean soup. The home-made pasta also makes special dishes such as foiade col nèdar o col pisùn (fettuccine with duck or pigeon meat ragout) o pappardelle with wild game or poultry (hare, pheasant).

Among the filled pasta, very special for their sweet and sour flavour are tortelli di zucca (home-made ravioli with a pumpkin mixture filling), today considered the symbol of Mantuan cuisine. Noteworthy also the home-made pressed pasta (al torchio), such as maccheroni con pancetta e fagioli (macaroni with bacon and beans) or with donkey stew and bigoi con sardèle (a thick kind of spaghetti served with salted anchovies marinated in olive oil). As for first courses again, a special place is reserved for risotto, thanks to the production of a typical variety, riso vialone nano in the fields left of the Mincio river; the most famous is risotto "alla pilota", with ground pork meat, which takes its name from the "piloti, that is to say, the men responsible for husking the rice. Often the dish is served with "pontèl", usually a grilled pork rib or loin.
Very good too are risottos with whatever is found in the rice field: catfish, carp, tench and with the psina (tiny little fresh water fish) or saltarèi (fresh water shrimps), or else with frogs and snails. Delicious too are other rice-based dishes: rice with pumpkin, rice with cabbage and rice with onions.

As for second courses, one can choose among roasted birds and pork meat in a variety of preparations such as, for example, the typical cotechino, but tradition suggests primarily stracotto d'asino o di cavallo (donkey or horse stew) served with polenta and red wine.
Being a land of lakes and rivers, one of the most typical dishes is the tasty luccio in salsa, boiled pike dressed with minced capers, anchovies, peppers and parsley or just lemon and oil and served with grilled polenta.. A particular mention goes to trippa (beef or pork tripe) which some eat for breakfast or as a snack, but is often served as an appetizer or as a second course. After all these flavours, one cannot miss tasting the cheese, formaggio grana in its two varieties: "Parmigiano Reggiano" or "Grana Padano" both originated from this territory and are best accompanied by Mantuan mostarda ( hot pickled fruit) or simply by one of the different varieties of pears grown in the Mantuan territory, such as William, Conference, Decana del Comizio, Abate Fetel and Kaiser. They bear the symbol I.G.T. (Typical Geographic Indication).

Among the wide selection of desserts, baked cakes or pastries, the most famous is Sbrisolona, made with corn flour, almonds, butter and lard, Anello di Monaco, a seasonal cake, Torta di Tagliatelle (noodle cake), the refined Helvetia, the unsophisticated Bussolano, the exclusive Millefoglie, the unusual Torta di Zucca (pumpkin cake) or the stupendous Torta delle Rose (Rose cake). Lastly, a particular dessert called Sùgol, a grape must pudding, a real treat.

To close, a mention of our wines, which meet increasing appreciation also for the quality of the Mantuan wineries. The very good red wines Cabernet, Merlot and Rubino and the white wines, Chardonnay, Tocai, Pinot, Riesling, labelled DOC (Controlled Denomination Origin) and IGT (Typical Geographic Indication) are produced in the hilly areas in the north such as "Garda Colli Mantovani". Not to miss for its quality and its perfect match with many of the above-mentioned dishes, Lambrusco Mantovano DOC, produced in the Viadanese-Sabbionetana area and in the OltrePo, south of the Po river.

Numerous food and wine events take place throughout the year in Mantua: