Asti Food and Wine

Asti is a city filled with excellent restaurants that feature the unique, local flavors of the region. Asti and its region of Piedmont are known for rich flavors and hearty dishes which are crafted using traditional recipes and techniques. Whether at local cafés, high-end restaurants, or local bars, travelers will delight in Asti’s food and wine offerings.

The cuisine of Asti is greatly influenced by its location. The food is a mix of Italy’s traditional northern style of cuisine along with a dash of French and Mediterranean techniques and ingredients.

Asti’s love of food is evident in its variety of festivals which center around cuisine. In September, the famous Festival of Festivals is held. The event features Italy’s largest open-air restaurant, complete with over 40 vendors offering their specialties. From DOC and DOCG wines to hearty local dishes, the festival is an amazing time to explore and experience traditional Piedmont cuisine.

Another important food festival in the province of Asti is the Regional Truffle Fair. The truffle is an important crop of the area, and its refined flavor is often included in many of the city’s dishes. The truffle season spans October to December, so in November, the fair is held to celebrate and exhibit truffles in a variety of ways. The events at the festival include conferences, tastings, and more. If travelers cannot make it to the festival in November, remember that truffles are often also offered at weekly farmer’s market-style events.

APPETIZER

Appetizers in Asti are centered around cheese, vegetables, meats, and the area’s most valuable product – truffles.

Fondue-style appetizers are very common in the area. Ciotola di trifulau is a delicious cheese fondue that includes polenta and a sprinkling of local truffles. Bagna càuda, or “hot dip,” is another fondue-like dish made of garlic, olive oil, and chopped anchovies. Sometimes the dip also includes salt and truffles. The dip is served warm, and seasonal vegetables (both raw and cooked) such as artichoke and peppers are dipped into it. Bagna càuda is a traditional dish for Piedmont and common throughout Asti.

Generally speaking, when it comes to the appetizer course Asti is known for its cheeses. Robiola di Roccaverano is a goat cheese that is creamy and soft with a delicate, yet slightly bitter flavor. It is the only goat cheese to receive the Protected Designation of Origin status. Robiola di Cocconato is another popular Asti cheese. Made with cow’s milk, it is shaped flat and round and features a soft, creamy texture. The flavor of this cheese is milky and a bit sweet.

Just like in other parts of Italy, the cheeses are often paired with locally made meats. The region of Piedmont is known for its salame, which is often made with the area’s classic Barbera wine. One variation to the classic pork salame that is common in the area is donkey meat salame.

FIRST COURSE

One of the region’s signature pasta dishes is agnolotti. This dish is egg pasta which is stuffed with a meat filling, similar to tortellini or ravioli. Typically, the filling is made from leftovers from other meat dishes. Often, the agnolotti are served with broth or sauce. For a unique spin on this, some cities around Asti, such as Calliano, offer agnolotti that is stuffed with donkey meat. Other variations include a rabbit filling in Viarigi, while in Costigliole the locals enjoy the plin variety, which are closed with a special pinching method that differs from traditional agnolotti. The most common way to serve agnolotti is with butter and sage.

Another famous Piedmont pasta dish is tajarin. Golden yellow in color thanks to the egg yolks used to create it, the pasta is very thin and long. It is a regional classic when served with a sauce made of butter and sage.

Other than pasta, starch is served throughout the area in the form of dishes made of potato gnocchi or risotto.

SECOND COURSE

Throughout Piedmont, Asti included, much of the second-course meal is comprised of local meats such as game, poultry, and beef.

Boiled meats are some of the most common second-course dishes. The dish called bollito misto is a local favorite. It is a stew-like simmered meat mixture comprised of meats, vegetables, and liquid.

Piedmont cuisine is known for being hearty and filling, so expect second-course dishes to be made with local meats, mushrooms, truffles, vegetables, and rich red wine.

Another local specialty is finanziera, which is a stew that dates back to the eighteenth century. Made with offal and other less noble cuts of meat, the dish was originally part of the local peasant tradition, but today it is a revered dish that is served in many local restaurants. The dish typically consists of rooster crests and wattles, sweetbreads, garlic, herbs, chicken broth, Marsala wine, and giardiniera.

Gran Fritto misto alla piemontese is another traditional peasant dish that consists of an assortment of fried meats. Recipes can vary from family to family based on what ingredients are on hand. As with finanziera, offal is a key component to this dish. Common ingredients include veal liver, pork sausage, and lamb ribs. The meats are always served with an assortment of fried vegetables and other ingredients, such as zucchini, eggplants, apples, and amaretti cookies.

Fricandò is a peasant stew that was born from placing leftovers into a pot and slowly cooking them with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Today, the dish is often made with veal.

SIDE DISHES

In Asti, common side dishes consist of local in-season vegetables, such as artichokes. Potatoes are a traditional accompaniment to a variety of meat dishes and are often roasted or boiled.

STREET FOOD

The most common street food enjoyed in Asti is the local version of farinata, a flatbread that is common in the Piedmont and Liguria regions. Locals call their version belecauda, and the flatbread is made with chickpea flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. There’s no better afternoon pick-me-up during a day of sightseeing.

DESSERTS

One of the most characteristic desserts in Asti are amaretti, or almond cookies. Made of almond flour and containing almond extract, the cookies have a distinct almond flavor and a soft inner texture with a slightly crunchy exterior – similar to a French macaron. These delicious bites are perfect with an espresso or a frothy latte.

Another typical treat in Asti are canestrelli, which means “little baskets.” These are Italian cookies that are similar to shortbread. They are typically shaped like flowers and are made with flour, sugar, and boiled egg yolks.

Finocchini are another cookie variety native to Piedmont. These rectangularly shaped cookies are made with eggs, flour, honey, and fennel seeds.

For a true Piedmont dessert, try torta di nocciola, or hazelnut cake. Made with flour, ground hazelnuts, and butter, the cake’s texture is delicate, and the flavor is delicious.

All of Asti’s desserts pair beautifully with the area’s famed dessert wines.

WINE

Asti and its region are heralded worldwide for high-quality wine production – from sparkling whites to rich reds, there is something for every wine drinker.

As far as white wine, Asti and its region of Piedmont are known for dry or sparkling varieties, including Cortese, Piedmont Chardonnay and, of course, Spumante and Moscato.

Asti is particularly known for the famed sweet and bubbly varieties of Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, both of which are DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) designated wines.

Asti Spumante is affectionately referred to as the “champagne of Italy” due to its effervescence and sweetness. Moscato d’Asti is sparkling as well, though its bubbliness is a bit subtler than the Spumante and it features a lower alcohol content. Both wines are made from the white muscat grape.

In terms of red wine, Piedmont is known for its famed Barolo and Barbaresco varieties. Made from the Nebbiolo grape, they are widely considered some of Italy’s best wines. In Asti, travelers should try Barbera d’Asti, Freisa d’Asti, Grignolino d’Asti, Grignolino, Dolcetto d’Asti, and many more.

In addition to wine, the local spirits and liqueurs of the area are equally delicious and of high quality.

Located in the Piedmont region, Asti is without a doubt among Italy’s leading culinary destinations. The city offers a wide variety of Piedmontese specialties, such as agnolotti, grand fritto misto alla piemontese, belecauda, and much more.

Travel Guides

The Piedmont Region of Italy

The Cities of Piedmont, Italy