I have enjoyed all the varied cuisines of Italy up until this point, but then we got to dip our Italian feet into something a bit more diverse. Trentino Alto Adige borders Switzerland, Austria, and beyond that Hungary and Germany which means the food dynamic expands in greater time than Italy itself. So if your thinking about pancetta, think of Speck (German Prosciutto) and the pasta, well there is no lasagna Bolognese here, but rather spaetzle. Barley soup, and fried ravioli (fried not boiled) and insalata di barbabietole ( chiggoia beet salad) with red wine and cumin are exactly what you will be eating in this corner of the country. There is something slightly more earthy and hearty about the German, Austrian, Hungarian influence here and I kind of like it.

Salt was very hard to come by in the north so many families had their own spice mixes. Garlic, coriander, clove, cinnamon, cumin, and juniper berries made it into Italy through trade, otherwise, you will not find these ingredients anywhere else in Italy. It really took me by surprise that I was going to cook German and Austrian food in Italy. I was so intrigued by the names too, like leberknodel (bread dumpling with liver) or smacafam (moist bread with sausage and pancetta).

And whats more, all of the apples to pick. The mountains are full of apples and more than you will find anywhere else in Europe. Trentino has eleven apple varieties stamped with IGP status, meaning they are guaranteed to be the best. Germany and Austria are also very keen on apple filled desserts like frittelle di mele. If you could imagine a perfectly round apple slice dipped in batter, fried, and eaten warm then I think I have you sold. Then, something a bit more peculiar, a sweet that I don't think should be classified as an after-dinner treat: Zwetschgenknodeln. Can you even pronounce it? Its a dough of pureed potato (think gnocchi), sugar, and egg stuffed with an apricot or plum, boiled then rolled in breadcrumb. The last bit involves cutting open the baseball sized dumpling and sprinkling sugar on top right before consumption. Just think about it for a second... potato, breadcrumbs, and sugar (so interesting)! I think the food profile in Trentino is one of the best I have studied yet, keep it coming Italy!