Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Lakes Kitchen
Is there a lake cuisine? No, not if you're looking for a homogenous gastronomic trad-
ition. Northern Italy's political and cultural history and its varied terrain make it im-
possible to assign a single food style to the area. But Lombardy is divided naturally in-
to distinct zones: the Po plain with its rice paddies, rivers, game birds, frogs and
snails; the lakes teeming with freshwater fish; the foothills of the Alps where cows,
goats and sheep graze, providing milk for Lombardy's fine cheeses and meat for saus-
ages and salami; and the mountains with their chestnut forests, mushrooms and wild
herbs. Eat your way around here and you'll learn much about Italy's history of city-
states and changing tastes while savouring some of its richest flavours.
'A good cook in a great city is more or less like a general in a vast theatre of war… It is not just that big cit-
ies are ever more bountifully provisioned with all sorts of fine ingredients. They have people whose job it
is to supply you with the tiny things that may have little intrinsic importance, but which help to make your
handiwork varied, elegant and precise.'
Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well,
Pellegrino Artusi
