Marche – from ascolane olives to truffle and vincisgrassi

The Marches have been defined as “ a region in the plural ”. Not only for the name but above all for the great variety that characterizes every aspect . Varieties ranging from landscape to art, from nature to culture, from dialects to gastronomy.

• Vincisgrassi:

a lasagna? No. In the Marche region there are vincisgrassi. Seven layers of hand-rolled pasta, dipped in béchamel sauce and an old-fashioned ragù. Here the taste of giblets dominates. It is the Sunday dish , that of the grandmother.

• Ascolana olives:

Ascoli-style olives owe their name to the city of Ascoli Piceno . They consist of pickled olives, stuffed inside with a tender meat-based compound. Everything is then breaded and fried. A real pleasure for the palate!

• Ciauscolo:

sausage, born in Roman times . Its name derives from the Latin “cibusculum” which means ” small food “. It is a soft salami that was prepared at the end of the pork processing with the leftovers of the meat . The farmers, at the end of a tiring day, made this product and ate it to celebrate the end of hard work.

• Maccheroncini di Campofilone:

also known as ” angel hair “. They are a very thin egg pasta that has conquered the IGP mark. The recipe has been handed down for centuries in every house among housewives, the “vergare” in the local dialect. The thinner the macaroni is, the more the cook is celebrated . This is because being able to work the very thin dough, cut it with a knife and let it dry without breaking it is not easy. The wonders of Marche cuisine certainly do not end here:

• Grow:

very close relative of the Romagna piadina . It differs in the dough which is enriched with eggs and pepper, making it very tasty and flavorful . It can be filled in a thousand ways, with cold cuts, stracchino, squacquerone, sautéed field herbs, or bresaola. (at this link you will find more information on the wonders of the region)

• Brodetto:

it is a fish soup that takes this name typical throughout the Adriatic . Obviously with all the dialectal variants. The fish “allowed” for the soup are exclusively: mantis shrimp, dogfish, mazzola, priest fish, monkfish, ray, St. Peter’s fish, redfish, cuttlefish and weever. From north to south, from Pesarese to Ascolano, almost every town on the coast has its “own” recipe for brodetto.

• Varnelli:

it is a unique and original product. This enhances the Mediterranean tradition of aniseed liqueurs and is appreciated both in Italy and abroad . This is also thanks to its dry and decisive taste. (click here to discover other Marche beauties)

• Rabbit in porchetta :

it is prepared with the so-called “porchetta ” method. The Rabbit in porchetta is then deboned and left whole. It is then stuffed with a mixture of mixed meat and aromatic herbs, among which wild fennel stands out. Finally it is rolled up on itself, tied with kitchen twine and baked in the oven. If you want to discover these culinary delights and other wonders of the region, click here for more details.