Bergamo, · Lombardia Techniques

Bergamo's signature stuffed pasta: half-moon parcels with a filling of ground meat, amaretti, raisins, Parmigiano, mostarda, and breadcrumbs soaked in broth. The contrast of sweet-savoury is characteristically Lombard and medieval in origin. Dressed with melted butter, sage, pancetta lardons, and a generous snowfall of aged Parmigiano.

The iconic Lombardy preparation of white polenta with small game birds (thrush, quail, or ortolan — now protected; quail is the legal substitute) roasted in butter and sage. The birds are placed whole on a skewer, roasted until golden, and presented on top of a mound of white polenta concia. The combination is one of the oldest documented recipes in Lombard cuisine and is now also reproduced in cake form — 'polenta e osei' is a famous Bergamo pastry (sponge cake with cream and sugar birds) served at festivals.

Lombardia's paradigm washed-rind cheese from Val Taleggio in the Bergamo pre-Alps — a square-format soft cheese of 2kg with an orange-pink brined rind and a cream-coloured paste that ranges from firm-young to fully runny-ripe. The rind is washed weekly with brine during the 40-day minimum maturation in mountain caves or dedicated cantine. The flavour is fruity, tangy, and mushroomy with a characteristic ammonia edge in the fully-ripe cheese.