Meals in Italy
Breakfast
Prima Colazione
Prima Colazione
Brioche (also called cornetto): Typically eaten at breakfast with a cappuccino. Brioche is like a croissant but with sweeter pastry. You can have them empty (vuoto) or filled with marmalade (marmalata), chocolate (cioccolato), fruits of the forest (frutti di bosco) and other fillings…
Lunch
Pranzo
Lunch can be anything from a Panino (a sandwich that can contain salami, tomatoes, cheese etc) to a slice of pizza or a sit-down meal of anything from lasagne to melanzane alla parmigiana (aubergine baked with basil, garlic and parmesan cheese) and more.
Merenda
Merenda is a snack – something in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon like coffee and a cake.
Evening Meal/Dinner
Cena
The evening meal can consist of a wide variety of courses. You can have them all or just one or two.
Antipasto
An antipasto is an appetiser. It’s often a shared dish but not always! Examples can be Bruschetta, some cold cuts or maybe soup
Primo
A primo is a first course which could be Lasagne, Spaghetti alla Vongole (spaghetti with clams), risotto or some other pasta dish.
Secondo
The secondo is the main dish which is often a protein-based one – so typically fish, pork, chicken, veal, lamb, wild boar or rabbit. You will often order vegetables seperately and this is called a contorno (side dish).
Dolci
This is the desert which can be ice-cream (gelato), tiramisu or any of the other wonderful deserts available.
Digestivo and Caffe’
The final course to the meal is digestivo drink (grappa, genepi or limoncello for example) followed by a coffee. A typical post-meal coffee would be an Espresso
Being in the mountains, you’ll find Sauze d’Oulx as well as having typical Italian dishes, also has dishes you tend to find in alpine areas of Italy and France.
For special dietary requirements it’s always worth contacting the restaurant beforehand
Coffee Culture in Italy
Espresso
Usually ordered as simply ‘un caffè’, the original strong shot of coffee
Usually ordered as simply ‘un caffè’, the original strong shot of coffee
Cappuccino
Equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk
Latte Macchiato
Steamed milk “marked” with a splash of espresso
Caffè Macchiato
Espresso with more steamed milk and less foam
Caffè Corretto
Literally translated to “corrected coffee,” this drink features espresso with a splash of alcohol, such as grappa or sambuca
Caffè Americano
Espresso diluted with hot water
Caffè Lungo
This “long coffee” comprises espresso with a splash of hot water but is stronger than the americano
Caffè latte
Espresso with more steamed milk and less foam
Caffè Decaffeinato
To order a decaffeinated coffee just ask for any of the above with ‘decaffeinato’ – or ‘dec’ (pron: dek) at the end e.g. Caffè Americano Dec
Piemonte Red & White Wines
Piemonte Wines – Reds
There’s a large assortment of wonderful red wines from the Piemonte region in Sauze d’Oulx. Here are a few of the main types.
Barolo
The king of Piemonte wines, rich, full-bodied and delicious.
Barbaresco
Similar to Barolo, equally rich and full-bodied.
Nebbiolo
Similar to Barolo, equally rich and full-bodied.
Barbera
Full of cherry flavours, soft and rounded.
Dolcetto
Fruity and usually dry with low acidity. Often compared to Beaujolais.
Grignolino
Light coloured wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins.
Piemonte Wines – Whites
Gavi
A dry white with pronounced acidity.
Cortese
Gavi (above) is made from the Cortese grape. Cortese wines tend to be medium bodied with notes of limes and greengage.
Arneis
Dry to medium-dry, with a rich texture.
Erbaluce
Erbaluce tends to be dry with noticeable acidity. There are also sweet versions. Apple aromas.
Moscato
Often known as a sweet desert wine, Moscato also comes in light and dry, slightly sweet and sparkling plus low-alcohol varieties.
Asti Spumante
Made from the Moscato grape (above), sweet and sparkling. Moscato d’Asti is less sparkling and has a lower alcohol content.
Piemonte Dishes
Sauze has many dishes from pasta, pizza to fish, meat and more – dishes you will find all over Italy, There are also some regional specialties, listed below.
ANTIPASTI
CAPONET
Caponét is a Piedmontese speciality consisting of savoy cabbage leaves stuffed with a meat mixture and then baked or browned in a pan.
CARNE CRUDA BATTUTA AL COLTELLO
Piedmontese beef finely chopped with a knife instead of minced, so that the meat juices are not lost and the meat remains firm; it is seasoned with salt, olive oil and lemon juice.
ACCIUGHE AL VERDE
Green anchovies are a typical Piedmontese appetiser, in which this tasty fish is served with a fragrant sauce (bagnet) made of parsley, garlic, chilli pepper, olive oil and breadcrumbs soaked in vinegar.
FIRST COURSES
GNOCCHI ALLA BAVA
Potato dumplings seasoned with the tasty flavour of toma cheese, which creates a mouth-watering ‘burr’ when they are put in the oven.
AGNOLOTTI DI CARNE
The main characteristics of Piedmontese agnolotto, compared to other stuffed pasta specialities from the rest of Italy, are the use of roast meat for the filling and the traditionally square shape.
RISOTTO AL CAREMA
When cooked, the risotto is blended with Carema, a DOC red wine made from Nebbiolo grapes, the production of which is only permitted in the municipality of Carema, in Canavese.
BAGNA CAUDA
Garlic is the basis of bagna caoda, which can be reduced but by no means eliminated: ‘purists’ prescribe one head per person, but four to five cloves may suffice. bagna caoda is served with vegetables to be dipped in the sauce.
DESSERTS
BONET
Bonèt is a pudding of ancient tradition, typical of Piedmont, made with eggs, sugar, milk, cocoa, liqueur (usually rum) and dried amaretti biscuits. In Piedmontese, the term bonèt indicates a rounded hat, whose shape often resembles that of the mould in which the pudding is cooked.
PANNACOTTA
Panna cotta is a type of pudding made by combining cream, milk and sugar with isinglass. Coffee, vanilla or other sauces can be added when serving it.
PESCHE RIPIENE ALL’AMARETTO
A summer dessert that encloses a filling of macaroons and chocolate in each peach half.
TORTA GIANDUJA
The marriage of chocolate and hazelnuts gives birth to the Gianduja cream and in this case the Gianduja cake. The name comes from the typical Turin mask ‘Gianduja’ or ‘Gian d’la doja’ and has become one of the symbols of Piedmontese cuisine, together with the cream of the same name and the famous gianduiotti chocolates.
ZABAIONE
zabaglione is a cream prepared by beating egg yolks and sugar for a long time and enriched with dry Marsala wine; it is then cooked in a bain-marie until it becomes thick and frothy. It is usually served with dry biscuits, fresh fruit or whipped cream.