The link between man and nature
In Piedmont, the coonection among man and nature is ancient and indissoluble, between flourishing and uncontaminated landscapes, ranging from the Gran Paradiso park, to an agriculture with a still strong character, which is expressed particularly in the hilly expanses covered with rows of current, which produce among the most valuable wines in Italy and in the world, olive groves, hazelnuts and also, small fruits such as blueberries, more and raspberries.
This link is certainly aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural development, paying particular attention to the maintenance of the biodiversity of productions, enhancing the work of all those producers who commit themselves, in compliance with nature, to offer healthy and quality products.
In this way we will certainly increase the quality of the products that will arrive on our tables, for a healthier lifestyle, and more green, respecting the ecosystem starting from the cultivation of raw materials.
The good Piedmontese wine
Talking about Piedmontese wine means talking about the history of Piedmont. The great autochthonous wines have a millenary and imposing tradition, above all thanks to a remarkable biodiversity, represented, by vineyards, orchards, hazelnuts, meadows, etc., which give a very rich ground of minerals, ideal for the production of wine.
The oldest cellar is dated in the middle of the Roman era and in 1758 a announcement of the Municipality of Alba was published, which could constitute a sort of law of "controlled denomination of origin", bringing the offer of the D.O.C. in the Olympus of the great world wines.
The numerous Piedmontese areas suited to the cultivation of the vine can be grouped in three macro zones (Monferrato, Langhe and Roero, wine districts of northern Piedmont) which have, in addition to the geographical proximity, also affinity from an enological and productive point of view.
Every wine, in Piedmont, tells us a story, that of its origins, of the places where it was born, of the lands that generated it and the men who produced it. They are stories rich in humanity and traditions that accompany us on an imaginary journey through the lands of wine.
Nature requires patience and must be kept, and Piedmontese knows it well how many attention must be preserved to keep what it goes on. First of all, the paternity of the grape variety: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Grignolino, Moscato, Cortese, Arneis are among the most important, each with strong distinctive characteristics almost never mixed with each other, according to the Piedmontese tradition that prefers its purity. Here then that the main wines bear the name of the grape itself and each grape variety has its typical area that delimits its most evoked territory: area of the Barbera "or" area of the dolcetto ", as well as the DOCG areas (denomination of origin Controlled and guaranteed) of Moscato, Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. These wines naturally speak to us of the winemakers, the men who cure and study the vineyard and the transformation of the grapes, know the techniques and have become skilled entrepreneurs. The man It therefore remains the protagonist of wine and its artisanal processing, conditioned by nature, in all its facets and inconsuits. All this confirms the fact that the wine is never accidental or trivial and is always the bearer of values of the taste of food culture. In a nutshell, Piedmontese wine is Piedmontese civilization.
The prestigious Piedmontese extra virgin olive oil
Piedmont, mainly mountainous, has an apparently prohibitive morphology for the cultivation of the olive tree. Despite this and the presence of very few oil mills, which guarantee their crushing by 12/24 hours, the Piedmontese region boasts a long tradition towards the production of olive oil. For over sixty thousand plants, about fifteen quintals of Piedmontese oil have been obtained with precious characteristics. The production is focused in the Monferrato area, a location characterized by a marked thermal excursion and for the most part by centuries -old olive trees.
The most common varieties are: the lick, a vigorous tree with an absurd bearing. The main branches have an inclined trend; The hair is expanded with pendulum twigs with elliptical-lanceolate leaves of silver green color; The oil mill, with tortuous and inclined pendulum branches, the leaves are lanceolate and bright green in color, the pendulum, with a thick hair with lanceolate leaves of silvery green color and the holm oak of the horn with thick hair and large leaves with a dark green color.
The production of Piedmontese extra virgin olive oil boasts some oils of excellence, which acquire more and more appreciability and gratitude in Italy and abroad, for its nutraceutical and organoleptic properties. In fact, the Piedmontese extra virgin olive oil with a green and bright color has a very strong presence of polyphenols and a very low acidity, which make it regenerating and antioxidant.
>>> Go to the Piedmontese extra virgin olive oil section
The tasty Piedmontese hazelnuts
The hazel was one of the first fruits used and cultivated by man, and around 1930 the cultivation spread in Piedmont, thanks to the escorted activity of Prof. Emanuele Ferraris who showed at the time how the core tree was more resistant and lasting the screw. On these territories the Piedmont Piedmont Igp hazelnut originates, which boasts five sites enrolled in UNESCO including the Langhe area - Roero and Monferrato.
IGP identifies the original agricultural and food products of a territory in which at least one of the production phases takes place and to which they are attributable: quality, reputation and other particular prestigious characteristics. Particularly appreciated for its qualitative parameters, the Piedmont IGP hazelnut should be kept in fresh and ventilated environments, and you can eat just caught or after dried.
The product is mainly used in the confectionery industry for the preparation of creams, cakes, ice cream or as an ingredient in the typical Piedmontese chocolate, the gianduiotto, and in the characteristic Christmas nougat, where the hazelnut constitutes the fundamental ingredient and best expresses its characteristics .
Finally, thanks to a significant content of essential amino acids and vitamin E, it is particularly rich in lipids. In particular, the lipid fraction is made up of over 40% of monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic acid) and has the highest monounsaturated/polyunsaturated ratio compared to the other dried fruit.
Recent studies demonstrate the positive effects of regular consumption of hazelnuts on human health. It is in fact confirmed that a rich diet in oleic acid (the same fatty acid present in extra virgin olive oil) allows you to maintain the so -called "bad cholesterol" at low level levels, and to raise the levels of "good cholesterol" .
>>> Go to the sweet delights section with hazelnuts
The small Piedmontese fruits
By "small fruits" we mean raspberries, blueberries, the currant, the blackberries and the strawberries of forest. The high quality levels of small fruits in the Piedmontese valleys are the direct consequence of a happy combination of natural factors and attentive choices of the farmers. In addition, the increasingly persistent adoption of sustainable and biological techniques of cultivation allows to reap the fruits, when they have reached a right degree of maturation and development, that is, when they are in possession of the organoleptic characteristics typical of the individual varieties.
The collection of the spontaneous fruits of the undergrowth has very ancient traditions, representing for centuries, a source of food and medication, still maintained alive nowadays, especially in those regions in which the spontaneous growth of these fruits is naturally favored by climatic conditions and geomorphological. The valleys of the Upper Piedmont, are described as a proud wonder, whose wonders of the Piedmontese nature, in particular with regard to the fruits with which these lands nourish and cheer the farmers of these areas, bloom copiously during spring.
Lamponi, blueberries, blackberries, currants and strawberries grew spontaneously along the streets on the slopes of the mountains and were a joy for the children, who collected them in small baskets and, carefully, brought them to their grandmothers, who packaged jams and cakes of to which the little ones were greedy.
When it began to think that these small products could also be sold, the collection of raspberries and blueberries began which were sold and from which liqueurs, composed, jams, syrups, creams, perfumes and even medicines were obtained.
The sector is continuously engaged in a constant evolution aimed in search of an ever better quality of products, the berries, which have always been present in these valleys and which are together witnesses and guarantees of the history, traditions and character of the farmers of these Lands, among the best known, the friars of the Monastery of Germagno in Valstrona.
>>> Go to the jam section with small fruits
In conclusion
Piedmont, a land of gastronomic products, from wines to liqueurs, passing through oil, up to fruits and confectionery tradition, in terms of taste, is able to make the joy of young and old: delights for the eyes and The palate, which find their strength in the incredible raw materials and in the skill of master craftsmen and farmers.
In the Italiamy.com shop you can find the best niche products, which can be found in large retailers, so as to fully satisfy your desire for Italian food, offering good wine, extra virgin olive oil, jams, liqueurs, chocolate, and high -level pastry shop tasting.