Egg pasta, shared warm dips, chocolate and rice-country lunches. Use these dishes as a starting point, then follow the menu of the place you are visiting.
Choose one dish you want to understand
- Tajarin: fine ribbons of egg pasta, often dressed simply so their texture stays central.
- Agnolotti del plin: small filled pasta parcels, closed with a pinch; fillings and sauces vary.
- Bagna cauda: a warm garlic, anchovy and oil dip for vegetables. A dish to share, especially in the cooler months.
- Vitello tonnato: sliced veal with a tuna-based sauce. Ask about ingredients if you avoid fish or eggs.
- Panissa: Vercelli’s rice-and-bean dish, commonly enriched with local cured pork. Regional versions differ.
- Bonet: a set dessert with cocoa and amaretti; leave a little room at the end of lunch.
A Turin sweet pause
A bicerin brings coffee, chocolate and milk cream together in a glass. Gianduia pairs chocolate with hazelnuts; gianduiotti make an easy small tasting. Compare flavours rather than buying a large mixed box immediately.
Let the place choose the menu
Turin offers a convenient introduction. Around Alba and the Langhe, fresh pasta and seasonal ingredients lead naturally into a leisurely lunch. In the Vercelli plain, start with rice; in the valleys, look for the local cheese and the dishes prepared that day.
Order comfortably
A full sequence of courses is optional. One antipasto and a primo may be enough for your appetite. Ask what a dish contains and whether it is a house preparation; a regional name alone tells you little about a kitchen.
Truffle is a seasonal extra
Do not build the whole trip around an assumed truffle serving. Check the variety, season and supplement before ordering. Piedmont offers plenty to taste without an expensive addition.
Read further
Italia.it: Piedmont’s food traditions · Turismo Torino: the bicerin · Visit Valsesia Vercelli: local food · Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourism Board
Sources checked on 12 October 2026. Check current opening times, menus and transport information before travelling.