Marche Techniques

The fish stew of Fano on the Adriatic coast of the Marche — a saffron-enriched fish broth with multiple species of small Adriatic fish (triglie, seppie, canocchie, scorpano) cooked briefly in a tomato and onion base, finished with saffron. Unlike the Pesaro brodetto (which uses vinegar), the Fano version uses saffron and no vinegar, giving it a more delicate character.

The Marche has one of the longest Adriatic coastlines in Italy, and each port town from Pesaro to San Benedetto del Tronto has its own version of brodetto — the Adriatic fish stew that is the counterpart of Tuscany's cacciucco, Puglia's brodet, and Liguria's ciuppin. The Marchigiani brodetto uses a wider variety of fish than most (typically 13 varieties — a number with culinary tradition behind it), a vinegar-forward base, and saffron from the nearby Abruzzese production. The broth is not creamy or thick — it is clean, golden-orange from the saffron, with a slight acidity from the vinegar, and intensely flavoured from the fish.

Brodetto all'Anconetana is the fish stew of Ancona — different from the Pesarese brodetto (which uses saffron and vinegar) and the Rossinese brodetto (minimalist, with vinegar only). The Anconetana version uses 13 types of fish (one for each apostle, with the thirteenth for Judas), cooked in a very simple tomato and olive oil base with no wine, no vinegar, no saffron — just good tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and the fish. The complexity comes from the variety of fish, not the seasonings.

The Anconese fish stew demands precisely 13 different species of fish and shellfish — a folkloric tradition that reflects the abundance of the central Adriatic. The base is a sauté of olive oil, garlic, and white wine vinegar (not wine — the vinegar is the Anconetano signature), into which species are added in order of cooking time: firm (monkfish, scorpionfish) first, then delicate (sole, mullet), then shellfish at the end. No tomato — the broth is clear and the vinegar-forward character sets it apart from the Vastese or Livornese versions.

Fish stew from Pesaro on the Adriatic coast of Marche — one of Italy's most distinctive regional brodetti. The Pesarese version is characterised by its use of white wine vinegar (not wine) as the souring agent, and the inclusion of mantis shrimp (canocchie/cicale di mare), cuttlefish, and at least four or five different Adriatic fish. The base is a simple tomato and onion soffritto; the different fish are added in a precise sequence based on cooking time. The broth should be thin and clean — not thickened or pureed — with an assertive vinegar sharpness.

The saffron-yellow fish stew of Porto Recanati on the Marche Adriatic coast — the most golden and aromatic of all Italian brodetti, distinguishable by its mandatory use of saffron from Navelli (L'Aquila) and the local catch of mazzola (gurnard), seppia (cuttlefish), gamberoni (large prawns), and the prized cicala di mare (mantis shrimp). Unlike the Ancona version which uses wine vinegar, Porto Recanati uses no acid — the saffron's bitter complexity provides the counterbalance. White onion, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and saffron are the only aromatics.

Porto Recanati's brodetto is the most distinctive of the Marchigiani fish stews — one of the few Italian brodetti made entirely without tomato, relying instead on onion, white wine, and — most notably — saffron, which gives the broth a golden colour and a slightly floral note that contrasts with the sweetness of the Adriatic fish. This 'white brodetto' (brodetto in bianco) is considered the most refined of the many Marchigiani brodetti versions (Ancona uses tomato; Porto San Giorgio uses vinegar and tomato; Porto Recanati uses saffron and no tomato). The variety of fish is critical: 8-10 types in a single preparation, with the cooking order governed by firmness.

Porto San Giorgio's version of the Adriatic fish stew — distinct from the Ancona brodetto in using vinegar in the base and a fixed selection of 13 fish types, one for each apostle and Christ. Each fish type is added in a specific sequence to the pan and cooked in its own section of the pan without stirring — the organisation of fish by type is part of the tradition. Finished with a handful of fresh herbs. The acidity of wine vinegar in the base is what distinguishes Porto San Giorgio's version from its neighbours.

Brodetto all'anconetana is one of the 13 versions of the Marchigiani fish stew (brodetto is the diminutive of brodo — broth) — the Ancona version uses white wine vinegar as its acidifying agent (rather than tomato or lemon), producing a sharp, clean-flavoured broth that is quite different from the Port Recanati saffron version. The preparation requires at least 9 types of Adriatic fish: scorpion fish (scorfano), gurnard (capone/triglia), weever (tracina), cuttlefish (seppie), clams (vongole), mussels (cozze), mantis shrimp (canocchie), skate (razza), and other local fish. Each is added in order of cooking time. The vinegar acidifies the broth throughout cooking; the result is bracingly sharp.

The Marche Adriatic coast's layered fish soup — related to Livornese cacciucco but distinct in its use of vegetables as co-equal components. A base of sautéed fennel, celery, carrot and onion in olive oil is built, then white wine deglazes, followed by passata and a generous quantity of fish scraps and heads (used to build a light brodo before being strained out). Mixed fish — typically scorfano, gronco, seppie and vongole — are added in sequence. The seppie and firm fish go first (15 minutes), then clams in their shells last (5 minutes). Served in wide bowls over slices of grilled bread rubbed with garlic, the fish laid over the soaked bread and the broth ladled over everything.

Sweet-savoury fried pastry half-moons from Marche, traditionally made at Easter. A short egg-and-lard pastry encases a filling of fresh pecorino (or ricotta), eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and sometimes saffron or cinnamon. Fried golden in lard or olive oil. The salt-forward pastry against the lightly sweet cheese filling is characteristic of central Italian pastry that straddles savoury and sweet.

Casciotta d'Urbino is the DOP sheep-and-cow cheese of the Marche — a small, drum-shaped, semi-soft cheese made from 70-80% whole sheep's milk and 20-30% cow's milk, with a very short aging (20-30 days), producing a mild, slightly sweet, compact white cheese with a reddish-yellow thin rind. It is the cheese of Urbino's ducal tradition — Michelangelo is documented to have loved it and reportedly owned fields near Urbino specifically to ensure supply. Its mildness and clean flavour make it a table cheese, but it also melts beautifully and is used in crescia and sfogliata preparations.

Ciambellone marchigiano is the classic ring cake of the Marche Sunday table: a large, ring-shaped cake made with olive oil (not butter), eggs, sugar, and a combination of flour and fine semolina (in the traditional version) that produces a slightly coarser texture than an all-flour cake. The olive oil gives it a distinctive green, slightly fruity flavour note; the lemon zest and anise seeds (or anise liqueur) provide the aromatic identity; the shape (ring) is traditional across the Apennine regions. It is neither light nor heavy — it is the paradigm of the Italian country cake: dense enough to keep several days, simple enough to make on Sunday morning, flavourful enough to require no accompaniment.

The Marche's uniquely spreadable salame — made from a rich combination of pork shoulder, belly, and fatback (60-70% fat by weight) blended with garlic, black pepper, fennel seeds, and red wine (Vernaccia di Serrapetrona), cased in natural pig gut, cold-smoked lightly over fragrant woods, and hung to mature 15-60 days. The result is a soft, spreadable salame that glides onto bread like a pâté, rosy-pink, aromatic, and uniquely immediate in the way it melts. The only Italian salame classified as 'spreadable' that has IGP protection.

Ciauscolo (or ciavuscolo) is the spreadable salami of the Marche and southern Umbria: a softly textured, intensely flavoured pork salami made from belly, shoulder, and pancetta ground very finely with garlic, black pepper, and white wine, stuffed in a natural casing and cold-smoked then hung to cure for 15-60 days. At the right stage of maturity, it is completely spreadable at room temperature — scooped with a knife and spread thickly on toasted bread. It is IGP-protected and is one of the most distinctive Italian artisan salumi.

Ciauscolo (or ciavuscolo) is the unique spreadable salame of the Marche interior — specifically the provinces of Macerata and Ascoli Piceno. Unlike a conventional salame (which is sliced), ciauscolo is a finely ground pork sausage (pork belly, shoulder, and liver in the traditional recipe, heavily larded) that, after a short curing period (15-20 days), is spreadable at room temperature — the fat content is high enough that the texture is like a dense, spreadable pâté rather than a sliceable salame. The flavour is intensely porky, slightly smoky (it is cold-smoked in some versions), with garlic and black pepper. It is eaten spread thickly on warm crescia or country bread.

Hunter-style rabbit braise from Marche, built on a base of onion, garlic, rosemary, and white wine with the addition of local olives and capers — a sour-saline element that distinguishes the Marchigiana version from other regional cacciatore preparations. The rabbit is jointed, seasoned, and browned in olive oil, then braised with white wine, stock, and olives for 45–60 minutes until falling from the bone. The sauce reduces to a thick, glossy coating. Vinegar is added at the end to sharpen the finish — a detail specific to Marche that cuts through the rabbit's slight gaminess.

Marche's inland adaptation of the porchetta tradition: a whole rabbit (coniglio) deboned except for the hindleg bones, spread flat, and seasoned with wild fennel fronds and seeds, garlic, rosemary, black pepper, salt and a generous amount of rendered lard. The deboned rabbit is rolled tightly over the stuffing and tied at regular intervals to create a uniform cylinder. Slow-roasted in a low oven (160°C) on a rack for 90 minutes, then the heat is raised to 200°C for a final 15 minutes to crisp the skin. Rested 20 minutes before slicing. The wild fennel perfumes the entire interior; the rendered lard keeps the lean rabbit moist throughout the long cook.

Marche's rabbit prepared in the porchetta style — a whole rabbit deboned and stuffed with the same aromatic filling used for porchetta (wild fennel fronds, garlic, rosemary, black pepper, salt, and liver from the animal), then rolled tightly, tied, and roasted in the wood oven until the skin crisps and crackles. The rolling concentrates the aromatics inside the rabbit roll, so every slice contains a spiral of the fennel-herb stuffing. The technique transforms a small, lean animal into a self-basting, aromatic roast.

Coniglio in porchetta is the Marchigiani preparation of rabbit cooked 'in the style of porchetta' — boned and stuffed with the classic porchetta filling of wild fennel fronds, garlic, rosemary, liver, and abundant black pepper, then rolled, tied, and either roasted in the oven or braised in white wine. The wild fennel of the Marche hills (finocchio selvatico) is the defining flavour — its anise fragrance perfumes the rabbit meat during the long cooking. The preparation is found throughout central Italy (Lazio, Umbria, and Marche all claim it) but the Marchigiani version uses rabbit and emphasises the wild fennel over other aromatics.

Crescia al formaggio (not to be confused with crescia sfogliata, the piadina-like flatbread) is the Marchigiani Easter cheese bread — a tall, round, leavened bread enriched with eggs, olive oil, and Pecorino cheese, similar in concept to the Umbrian torta di Pasqua al formaggio but distinctly different in the Marchigiani execution: higher Pecorino ratio, addition of black pepper (generous), and sometimes a small amount of cracked black olives added to the dough. It rises in the oven spectacularly and is traditionally blessed on Holy Saturday morning.

Layered flatbread from Urbino in the Marche — a rich, laminated flatbread made with lard, eggs, and black pepper, cooked on a hot flat stone (testo) or heavy pan. The dough is rolled thin, spread with lard and black pepper, folded and rolled repeatedly to create flaky layers, then cooked directly on a dry stone until blistered and slightly charred in spots. Crescia sfogliata is Easter food in the Urbino hills, served with salumi, boiled eggs, and the local ciauscolo sausage. The lard between the layers creates a structure similar to puff pastry but without butter, and the egg enrichment gives golden colour.

Crescia sfogliata (also called fogliata or crescia di Urbino) is the defining street bread of the Urbino area: a layered, flaky flatbread made by rolling an enriched dough (eggs, lard, black pepper), spreading it with lard, folding multiple times (like a rough lamination), and cooking on a testo — a terracotta or iron griddle. The result is a flatbread with a flaky, layered interior and a slightly charred, blistered exterior, eaten hot off the testo with prosciutto, lonza (cured pork loin), or salami. The lard lamination gives crescia sfogliata an almost pastry-like interior — each layer visible when the bread is torn.

Marche's layered flatbread — a rich, laminated unleavened dough of flour, eggs, olive oil, and black pepper, rolled thin, folded multiple times to create a flaky, multi-layered structure, then cooked on a hearthstone or iron griddle. Unlike a simple flatbread, the crescia sfogliata separates into brittle, flaky layers as it cools — each layer distinct and slightly crisp, flavoured throughout with black pepper. Eaten warm with Ciauscolo, prosciutto di Norcia, or Formaggio di Fossa for the definitive Marche antipasto.

The Marche's sfogliata cheese flatbread — distinct from the Umbrian counterpart — is made from a leavened dough enriched with eggs, lard and grated Pecorino or Formaggio di Fossa. The dough is rolled very thin, spread with additional lard and grated Formaggio di Fossa, folded twice like a letter (creating three layers), rolled again and folded once more before the final thin roll-out. This repeated lamination creates a tender, slightly flaky interior with visible cheese pockets throughout. Baked on a flat clay or cast-iron testo (griddle) over moderate heat, turned once, until both sides show dark leopard-spotting. Served warm at Easter and festivals, torn into pieces at the table.

Fig jam tart from Marche using a buttery, crumbly pasta frolla (shortcrust) filled with handmade fig conserva from local black figs. The pasta frolla is enriched with lard (in addition to butter) for the specific crumbly, short texture traditional in Marchigiana pastry; the fig jam is made with whole figs or rough pieces, sugar, and lemon — not a smooth purée but a thick, textured jam where pieces of fig remain visible. The lattice top is the traditional finishing — strips of pasta frolla laid over the jam in a diagonal grid, pressed at the edges, and baked until golden.

Formaggio di Fossa (PDO) is a white semi-hard sheep's or mixed milk cheese aged in underground pits (fosse) cut into the tufa stone around Sogliano al Rubicone (Emilia-Romagna/Marche border). Each August, fresh cheeses are wrapped in linen and sealed in the pits, which are then closed for 3 months. In the sealed pit, CO₂ builds up, suppressing aerobic organisms while allowing anaerobic bacteria to drive an unusual fermentation. When the pits are opened in November, the cheese emerges wrinkled, with a grey-yellow rind and an intensely earthy, truffle-like, slightly ammoniac aroma. No other cheese ages this way.

Marche's braised hen with green olives — a mature hen (gallina, not chicken) slow-braised for 2 hours in white wine, tomato, and Ascolana green olives until the meat reaches the deep, concentrated flavour that only a laying hen can produce. The Ascolana olive (from Ascoli Piceno, the same olive used for olive ascolane fritte) provides a mild, buttery contrast to the hen's deep flavour. A preparation requiring patience and an authentic older bird — chicken produces a completely different dish.

Guanciale (from 'guancia' — cheek) is the cured pig's jowl that is foundational to Roman cooking — the fat used in amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe's richer version, and gricia. Unlike pancetta (cured belly), guanciale has a higher ratio of fat to lean, a distinctive layered fat structure, and a specific flavour from the jaw muscle and its surrounding fat deposits — slightly more assertive, slightly more aromatic than belly fat. The Lazio and Abruzzo guanciale is seasoned with black pepper, red chilli, and sometimes rosemary before curing; it is not smoked. The fat, rendered in a dry pan without added oil, forms the cooking fat for the four classical Roman pasta sauces.

Hare braised in a long salmì (salt brine and wine marinade then braise) from Marche — a classic game preparation that requires marinating the jointed hare for 24–48 hours in red wine, juniper, herbs, and vegetables before braising in the same marinade with added lard and olives. The 'salmì' is distinguished from a simple braise by the intensity of the marinade treatment: the hare absorbs the wine's tannic structure and the juniper's resin note deeply before cooking. Served with Marchigiana tagliatelle or polenta.

Lonza (cured pork loin) is the defining salume of the Marche — aged, lightly spiced, and thinly sliced as the region's most valued cured meat. The lonza di fico is the aristocratic variant: a whole boned pork loin, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Marchigiani spices (typically cloves, cinnamon, and mace in small amounts), rolled around dried figs that have been soaked in Visciole wine (the local sour cherry wine) or Vernaccia, and then tied, cured in salt for several days, and hung to air-dry for 2-3 months. The dried figs provide an interior sweetness that counterpoints the savoury, slightly spiced cured pork — an agrodolce logic applied to a salume.

Lonza di fico is the Marchigiani confection made to resemble a pork lonza (cured loin) — compressed dried figs mixed with walnuts, almonds, orange peel, and anise seeds, shaped into a cylinder, wrapped in fig leaves, and tied to produce something that, when sliced, resembles a cross-section of cured meat but reveals the dark, sweet, nutty interior. It is the traditional Christmas confection of the Fermo and Macerata provinces — made in November when the autumn figs are dried and the walnuts are fresh, stored through Advent, and served sliced at Christmas with aged Pecorino or Verdicchio passito. The name is a playful reference: fico (fig) lonza pretending to be pork lonza.

Vino cotto (cooked wine) — a Marche speciality made from must reduced by more than half to a syrupy condiment — is the defining ingredient of this pork loin braise. A tied pork loin is browned all over in olive oil and lard in a heavy casserole, then removed while the soffritto of onion, carrot and celery is built in the same fat. The loin is returned, surrounded by bay leaves and black peppercorns, then bathed in a mixture of vino cotto and white wine. The braise is covered and maintained at the lowest possible simmer for 90 minutes. The cooking liquid, enriched with the pork's juices and the vino cotto's natural sweetness, is reduced and mounted with cold butter as a sauce. The loin is sliced and served over soft polenta or boiled potatoes.

Small spiral egg pasta ('little snails') unique to the Urbino area of the Marche: a compact pasta dough cut into small discs and shaped around a thin wooden rod to create a spiral tube, then sauced with a butter-based sauce of prosciutto di Carpegna (the local Pesaro-Urbino cured ham) and a generous scraping of nutmeg. One of the most refined pasta shapes in central Italy, associated with the ducal Renaissance court of Urbino where elaborate pasta forms were fashionable.

The Fermo province's extraordinary pasta — maccheroncini di Campofilone (an IGP-protected pasta made with 10 egg yolks per kilo of flour, producing golden, thread-fine strands 0.3mm wide) dressed with a white rabbit ragù. The pasta's extraordinary egg richness means it needs only 2 minutes of cooking time and serves as a canvas that amplifies rather than competes with its sauce. The rabbit ragù is white (no tomato): rabbit joints braised with white wine, shallot, rosemary, and sage until the meat falls off and is shredded back into the reduced braising juices.

Maccheroncini di Campofilone are the extraordinary fine-thread egg pasta of Campofilone (Fermo province, Marche) — rolled to extreme thinness and cut to spaghetti-like width, but made with a very high egg content (8-12 egg yolks per 1kg flour, depending on tradition) and no water whatsoever. The high yolk content produces a pasta of brilliant yellow colour and extraordinary richness, so thin it cooks in 30-60 seconds and has a melting texture unlike any other pasta. It is IGP protected. The traditional sauce is ragù all'abruzzese or simply butter and truffle. The pasta's delicacy requires an equally delicate sauce — nothing heavy, nothing that will obscure the egg pasta's character.

A simple mountain soup from the Apennine hillside villages of the Marche — wild chicory (cicoria selvatica) and dandelion greens gathered in spring, blanched and simmered in a pork broth with garlic and peperoncino, then finished with a generous spoonful of fresh ricotta dropped into each bowl. The ricotta softens in the hot soup but doesn't fully dissolve, creating a creamy marble effect.

The defining antipasto of Ascoli Piceno: large Ascoliva Tenera DOP olives (Italy's most tender, mildest cultivar) pitted by spiral-cutting, stuffed with a braised meat filling of veal, pork, chicken, Parmigiano, nutmeg, and lemon zest, then breaded and deep-fried to golden. The olive remains intact as a spiral casing. The contrast of briny-mild olive, savoury meat, and shatteringly crisp breadcrumb is the defining Marchigiano street food.

Olive ascolane stuffed and baked (rather than the more famous fried version) is the traditional domestic version of the celebrated Ascoli Piceno preparation — the large, green, sweet Ascolana Tenera olive is pitted, stuffed with the classic seasoned meat filling (veal, pork, chicken, spices), crumbed, and baked in olive oil rather than deep-fried. The baked version is less dramatic than the fried but arguably more nuanced — the olive skin softens gently, the filling cooks through, and the breadcrumb exterior becomes golden without the characteristic crunch of the fried version. In Ascoli Piceno, the fried version is the festival food; the baked version is the home kitchen version.

Olive ascolane are the finest fried olive in Italy: the large, firm, mild Ascolana Tenera olive (an IGP variety grown exclusively around Ascoli Piceno) is pitted, stuffed with a seasoned meat filling (minced beef and pork, with chicken and prosciutto, bound with egg and Parmigiano, flavoured with nutmeg and lemon zest), double-coated in egg wash and breadcrumbs, and fried in olive oil until golden. They are eaten immediately as street food or antipasto — and the combination of the olive's firm, slightly bitter flesh with the rich, spiced meat filling is something no other ingredient can replicate.

Passatelli are the defining pasta preparation of the Romagna-Marche border — short, worm-like extruded pasta made from breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, eggs, and lemon zest (with optional nutmeg and bone marrow in the traditional version), pressed through a special disk with holes to produce the characteristic cylindrical form, then cooked directly in a well-made meat broth. They are considered a Romagna preparation but the Pesaro province of the Marche also claims the tradition. The preparation requires good broth and good breadcrumbs — the broth becomes the sauce; the passatelli absorb it during cooking and expand slightly. They are the winter primo of the inland Romagna-Marche border country.

Pecorino Crotonese is the aged sheep's milk cheese of the Marchesato area of Crotone province — one of the oldest documented cheeses of southern Italy, with records tracing the production to ancient Greek settlers of Krotón (modern Crotone). It is produced in three stages: fresco (fresh, 1-2 weeks), semistagionato (medium-aged, 3-6 months), and stagionato (fully aged, 12+ months). The fully aged Crotonese develops a hard, rough grey-brown rind and an intensely concentrated, slightly spicy interior with a pronounced lanolin note from the high sheep milk fat. It is grated over pasta, eaten with fava beans, and used as the primary cheese element in the Calabrian cooking tradition.

A thick mountain polenta from the Apennine hills of the Marche — coarse-ground local corn polenta slow-stirred for 45 minutes in a copper pot, dressed with a rich porcini mushroom and fresh pork sausage sauce. The mushrooms are sourced from the Sibillini hills (fresh in autumn, dried and reconstituted otherwise) and the sausage is the local fennel-scented variety. Served on a wooden board for communal eating.

The Marchigiani baked rice timbale (occasionally called sartu or timballo di riso) is a baroque preparation: a drum of rice sealed with breadcrumbs, baked in a mould, and filled with a mixture of chicken livers, peas, hard-boiled eggs, and a short-cooked meat ragù. Unmoulded at the table, the timbale reveals its architectural construction — the golden-baked rice crust opening to the savoury interior. The preparation requires planning: the ragù is made the day before; the rice is partially cooked and bound with egg; the filling is assembled; the mould is constructed. It is a Sunday preparation or a special-occasion primo.

Mixed meat skewers from Marche — alternating pieces of pork, lamb, chicken liver, and Marchigiana sausage on long metal skewers, interspersed with bay leaves and sage, grilled over wood embers. The meat combinations vary but the alternation with bay leaves is the Marchigiana signature — the bay releases its oils as it heats, perfuming the adjacent meat. The skewers are cooked over moderate-heat embers (not direct flame) and turned frequently. Served with the bread that has been used to collect dripping fat — 'bruschetta del fuoco', the most prized part.

Stockfish (air-dried cod) braised in the Ancona style with olive oil, onion, anchovy, tomato, olives, capers and rosemary — one of the great fish preparations of the central Adriatic coast. The stockfish must be beaten and soaked for 48 hours before cooking to fully rehydrate. It is then layered in a terracotta pot with the aromatics and braised very slowly until it holds its shape but yields to a fork.

Hand-rolled strozzapreti (literally 'priest-strangler') from the Marche, dressed with crumbled fresh pork sausage cooked in white wine and finished with aged Pecorino di Fossa — a cheese buried in pits for ripening that gives an intense, funky mineral quality. The dish is finished with a light pasta water emulsion and a generous black pepper grind.

Freshly made tagliatelle with a slow-braised wild boar ragù from the Marche Apennine hills — the boar marinated in Rosso Piceno red wine with juniper, bay and rosemary, then braised until falling apart, shredded back into the deeply reduced wine sauce. Finished with a generous grating of Pecorino di Fossa for its mineral funk.

Acqualagna, in the Metauro valley of the Pesaro-Urbino province, is one of Italy's two great white truffle centres (alongside Alba in Piedmont) — producing Tuber magnatum pico from October through January in the oak and poplar forests of the northern Marche Apennines. The definitive preparation is the simplest: freshly made egg tagliatelle tossed with good butter and a thread of the best available olive oil, finished with a generous shaving of Acqualagna white truffle at the table. No cheese, no garlic, no further seasoning — the truffle is the entire preparation. The pasta must be delicate enough not to compete; the butter must be of excellent quality; the truffle must be shaved at the last moment.

Fresh egg tagliatelle dressed with a slow-braised mutton (or adult sheep) ragù — a preparation from the Marche Apennine sheep-farming tradition that uses older, more flavourful animals for a deeply gamey, complex sauce. The sheep is marinated in local Verdicchio wine overnight, then braised with rosemary, sage and a strip of lardo until falling apart. Finished with Pecorino di Fossa.