Studying Gastronomy Among the Cunean Valleys

From March 14 to 20, 2011, thanks to a multi-year collaboration with the Comunità Montana Alpi del mare, UNISG students will get up close and personal with the unique food-and-wine culture of Piemonte.

The study trip starts at the Cascina Commenda in Peveragno, where the group will participate in wood-oven breadmaking and, in the evening, will encounter Gai Saber, a local music group. Tuesday, after having visited Certosa di Pesio and hiked to an alpine hut on snowshoes, they will stop at the En Barlet farm, where they will experience the various phases of goat cheese production, as well as have a lesson with veterinarian Andreino Ponzo on the Frabosana sheep, a local breed.

The following day, the students will pass the morning at the Valle Josina dairy in Peveragno, for lessons on cheese production and certification, exploring the company’s entire product line, and undertaking sensory analysis of the look, texture, color, smell and taste of the cheeses. That afternoon, they will find themselves at Agritrutta, a trout farm in San Biagio di Mondovì, and later in Boves, where they will meet the food writers Adriano Ravera and Elma Schena for a lesson entitled Ci vediamo all’osteria: un percorso tra storia e cucina per i 150 anni dell’Unità d’Italia (See You at the Osteria: A Voyage through 150 Years of the History and Food of United Italy). The day concludes at the National Hotel of Vernante for a thematic dinner about territory and sustainability, featuring salmon trout, trout roe, and black truffles.

On Thursday, after preparing traditional sweets with the chef of the National Hotel, the group will discover the production methods of artisanal beer, and dine at the Birrificio Troll, a brewery in Robilante. Friday they are off to the Gesso Valley to visit the Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime, the Borroni fish farm, and the Ecomuseo della Segale. There, with herbalist Barbara Milanesio, they will learn how to use lavendar and other herbs in cooking. An academically focused session with the top chefs of the valley will include a kitchen-based workshop, followed by a celebratory lunch with municipal representatives.

This study trip is organized with the assistance of the Comunità Montana delle Alpi del Mare.  Particular thanks go to the president of the Comunità Montana, Ugo Boccacci, a long-time supporter of the University of Gastronomic Sciences.