Italy is famous for its cuisine, and Verona is no exception. When it comes to traditional Italian food, Verona offers a plethora of options from meats to homemade pasta.
What food is Verona known for: dishes, cheese & hams & desserts?
- Pastissada de Caval, horsemeat stew
- Risotto al Tastasal, locally produced rice and pork meat
- Risotto all'Amarone, made with wine, broth and local rice
- Risotto with Porcini Mushroom, eaten in the Autumn season
- Bigoli, freshly handmade egg spaghetti
- Black truffles, eaten with risotto or handmade pasta
- Rabbit with tomato sauce
- "Ossobuco" braised veal shanks
- "Luccio" fish from Lake Garda
- "Renga" smoked sardines traditionally brought by Venetian boats
- Pearà, looks like polenta but it's not; a must-have that is difficult to find.
- Semi-hard cheese Monte Veronese
- Salami "Soppressa": a soft product made with pork, wine, ground pepper, and garlic
- Sbrisolona, a cake with almonds
- Pandoro, a typical cake
- Risino, egg and rice pastry
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What wine is from Verona?
- Valpolicella red wines, in its range from mid to full body: classico, Superiore, Ripasso Amarone
- Bardolino
- Soave Classico white wine
- Lugana white whine
- Durello sparkling wine
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Discover the ingredients and receipes of Verona dishes and main courses:
Risotto with Amarone wine
This delicious and creamy risotto is made with Amarone, a signature wine of the region. The rice is cooked in a rich and flavorful broth and served with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It's a classic dish that's a must-try when in Verona
See the featured picture
Bigoli: local egg pasta
This fresh egg pasta dish is a staple of Veronese cuisine. It's made with whole wheat flour, plenty of eggs and served with a meaty ragù sauce made with pork, beef, and red wine. The dish is often topped with grated Grana Padano cheese and is a must-try for pasta lovers. You can have this also with duck, rabbit or horse meat.
Bigoli near Tortellini di Valeggio - Photos by Osteria La Fregola https://osterialafregolaverona.it/
Pearà: a meat infused sauce
Pearà is a traditional sauce from Verona that's made from bread crumbs, beef broth, and bone marrow. Yes, you heard it right – bone marrow! This may sound strange, but trust us, it's what gives pearà its unique and delicious flavor.
The sauce is rich and creamy making it the perfect accompaniment to any boiled or roasted meat.
"Bolliti": boiled meats perfect pairing with Pearà
"Bolliti" in Verona refers to a variety of boiled meats, usually including beef, chicken, and sometimes pork or other meats. The meats are typically simmered in a flavorful broth made from vegetables and aromatic herbs. It's a traditional dish in the cuisine of Verona and the Veneto region. It often comes with accompaniments like Mostarda (a fruit mustard) or pearà, a sauce made with bread crumbs, beef marrow
Pastisada de caval: horse meat stew
Pastisada de caval is a hearty, slow-cooked stew made with horse meat (yes, you heard that right!), red wine, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, and a plethora of herbs and spices.
The horse meat is the star of the show here, and it's cooked until it's so tender that it practically melts in your mouth.
This dish is typically served over polenta, which is a creamy cornmeal porridge that soaks up all the flavorful juices of the stew.
Trust me, it's a match made in heaven; you can try it during your Verona stay.
Risotto with Tastasal (Pork)
The dish combines risotto with "tastasal," a particular kind of pork sausage mixture. Tastasal is essentially the fresh sausage meat that is sampled ('tasta' means to taste, and 'sal' means salt) for seasoning before it’s used to fill sausages. The risotto is typically cooked using a broth and may include onions, white wine, and Parmesan cheese, among other ingredients. The tastasal adds a rich, meaty flavor to the creamy rice base, making it a unique and hearty dish.
Polenta: to be paired with meats, cheese, or fish from Lake Garda
Polenta is a staple dish in Italian cuisine, particularly prevalent in Northern Italy. It is made by boiling cornmeal in water or broth until it reaches a creamy, porridge-like consistency. The dish is highly versatile; it can be served soft and creamy, or allowed to cool and harden, then sliced and grilled or fried. Depending on the region and the accompanying dishes, polenta can be flavored with various cheeses, herbs, or meats.
Pair with: meat stews (wild boar, horse meat); fish from Lake Garda such as "Luccio" or "Renga" (an old tradition of smoked sardines brought by boat from Venetian traders); porcini mushrooms; local cheese; and local cod recipes, "Baccalà."
Tagliatelle or risotto with black truffles
In Verona, black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) are a prized gastronomic ingredient, celebrated for their earthy aroma and complex flavors. They are commonly integrated into risotto dishes, where the truffles are finely shaved over a creamy Carnaroli rice base from the southern village of Isola della Scala, allowing the truffle essence to permeate throughout. Additionally, black truffles from Verona often make their appearance in homemade egg pasta dishes, usually in the form of truffle-infused oils or thinly sliced truffle shavings, which amplify the richness and depth of the pasta's flavor profile.
Baccalà: salted cod stew
Salted codfish preserved through salting and drying. It's a staple in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, requiring rehydration and desalting before cooking. The fish is commonly used in various regional dishes, from Venetian stews to Roman-style fried filets.
Verona cheese & hams
In the area of Verona and Veneto region (including Vicenza, Padova and Venice) the local ham is "Soppressa", a variety of Italian salami characterized by its soft, almost creamy texture. The principal elements include pork, salt, and pepper. Sometimes garlic or wine are added. Often enjoyed thinly sliced as part of antipasti, paired with polenta or in sandwiches.
Verona is located just before the Alps. In the first hills, Monte Veronese is produced, a semi-hard cheese can be found in two types, made from either partially skimmed or whole cow's milk. It owns a DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) status, produced in the Lessini Mountains and the Veronese plateau
It is commonly used in salads, risottos, or consumed as a table cheese.
These items are often consumed together, perhaps accompanied by a local wine like Valpolicella or Ripasso, making for a truly Veronese experience.
