taste le marche
catering and gastronomy
Italy +39 338 4754549 UK +44 (0)7909 684931 info@tastelemarche.com

food traditions
local gastronomy preserved

Cooking in Le Marche is deeply rooted in peasant tradition. Here the home cook rather than the professional chef rules, and even the smartest restaurants seek to produce food just like grandmother used to make. The use of fresh, top quality ingredients assembled with the minimum of fuss marks Marchigiano food. But as dishes are strictly based on tradition and local produce, each local area has its distinctive typical cuisine. As with any rural diet, much use is made of food gathered from the wild; funghi, game, nuts, field herbs and - the area's greatest culinary treasure - truffles are an important feature in Le Marche.

truffles and mushrooms

The woodland areas have remained extremely important in the daily lives of the people of Le Marche, and no produce is more valued than the truffle. With their distinctive flavour and musky scent this seasonal indulgence is a gourmet delight eagerly awaited by both chefs and mushroom-lovers alike. There are many varieties of truffle, but the most highly prized are the Black Autumn truffle (Tuberaceae Uncinatum), the Black Winter truffle, (Tuberaceae Melanosporum), and the White Winter Truffle (Tuber Magnatum). Truffle hunting is a serious business, and the location of the truffles is, in many cases, a closely guarded family secret passed down from generation to generation. Mushroom hunting is also widespread throughout the mountain areas and a large number of species are edible, and available in the local markets. The finest of these are porcini, funghi di San Giorgio and ovuli buini, while others include spugnole, prataioli, galletti, morette, maze di tamburo and nebbioli.

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olives and olive oil

Marche oil has received high praise at national and international levels for many years. The quality and characteristics of its oil are the result of a combination of factors – the variety used, which complements Frantoio and Leccino with other local varieties that differ from area to area, in particular the climatic and soil conditions in Le Marche, the traditional agricultural techniques and the skilful olive pressing tradition, where the latest production techniques coexist with small-scale equipment that still press olives with grinding wheels and using pressure extraction. Typical Marche olive oil has a medium-light fruitiness, often with hints of grass and young almond. Its taste tends towards the sweet with suggestions of bitterness and piquancy. Numerous varieties which are typical to the region are blended with the Frantoio and Leccino varieties in varying proportions in order to emphasis one characteristic or another. The result is an almost limitless combination of tastes and aromas which makes every olive oil tasting a unique experience.

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pasta

Several traditional producers make pasta di semola using the best quality durum wheat. Traditional small-scale methods are followed throughout the entire production process, from milling, to blending and producing the final product. Thanks to its high protein value and fine taste and aroma, pasta di semola, with its particularly intense aroma is much sought after by consumers throughout the world.

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cheeses

A vast range of pecorino cheeses can be found throughout the rich pasture lands of the mountain areas. In the area around the Sibillini Mountains there is an unusual practice of flavouring the rennet with marjoram, thyme, blackberry buds, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and oil, mixed together with the yolk of an egg to make pecorino. At the moment of curdling, the mixture is dissolved into the milk and the heat of the fire does the rest. The texture of the cheese is compact, it is straw-yellow in colour when eaten fresh and the flavour becomes gradually more intense as it matures, a process which can last for over a year. In the north of the region it is still possible to find pecorino stored in oak barrels, casks or vats, where they are left for up to three months wrapped in walnut leaves. Alternatively they are placed in layers and covered with aromatic herbs or vinacce (grape skins which have been pressed dry of their juice during the wine making process). There are also various cheeses whose production is localised, such as cases, caprino, alattato, raviggiolo, cacao in forma di limone, casciotta d’urbino and formaggio di fossa.

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cured pork

The traditional practice of using every part of the animal and the need to use as much pork fat as possible have given rise to two types of cured pork, the salame di Fabriano, which is given an even higher value than prosciutto, and the Ciauscolo. For the ciauscolo, the pork fat is minced and mixed together with the meat to form a smooth paste which can be easily spread on bread. Importance is given to the choice of meat, which must include shoulder, hock, bacon, fillet and fat. The coppa di testa is made from the head of the pig, rind, bones, ears, tail, etc) and must be tasted to appreciate how delicious it is! The mazzafegato, also known locally as salsiccia matta (mad sausage), are the last sausages to be made and include everything that hadn’t already been used, including pieces of lung, intestine, nerve tissue and tongue, all flavoured with salt, pepper, garlic and other local seasonings. Of the more “noble” cured meats, the prosciutto di Carpegna holds the denominazione di origine protetta (DOP). Other quality products include lonza and lonzino (cured fillet), porchetta (roast pork) and pancetta arrotolata (rolled bacon) but the range of Marche cured pork, in all its local forms and varieties is almost infinite. Only quality, which is high throughout, remains common to all.

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beef

The Marche breed of beef cattle is a descendent of large horned cattle whose meat is protected with the IGP Vitellone Bianco dell’Appennino Centrale (white beef cattle from the Central Apennines) registration. The environment, mild climate and natural, unspoilt pasture lands are the vital ingredients which guarantee the highest quality.

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fruit and vegetables

The best known regional products are broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, fennel, peas, insalata ascoland, chicory and curly endive, carddons, red potatoes, white beans, Suasa onion, cicerchia and broad beans. The region also produces a large range of fine quality fruit - apricots, pear Angelica, Val d’Aso peach, Amandola red apple, pera a cucuccetta, visciole (wild cherries), sloes, quinces, figs, pomegranates, chestnuts and walnuts are abundant. Woodland produce also features heavily in the Marche diet and includes, wild strawberries, bilberries, raspberries, blackberries, corbezzoli (with edible red berries) and juniper berries. Herbs grow naturally in the mountain and hill areas and the main species are coriander, passion flower, green aniseed, hyssop, lavender, lemon balm, mint, sage, bay and wild fennel.

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honey

The Marche hills are cultivated with leguminous grazing crops, including various types of clover, providing large quantities of nectar for the bees. The honey produced is sweet, has little aroma and is clear in colour. It is sought after to improve other inferior honeys. Among the many types produced throughout the region are the fine Millefiori mixed flower honeys, with their surprising character and variety. Their aroma and taste, more than any other type of honey, changes each season according to the varieties of flowers in the surrounding areas, and the proportions of nectar which the bees collect. Among the single flower varieties are miele di melata, made mainly from honeydew from oak trees and rich in minerals and potassium, and also acacia and sunflower honey. Warmed Marche honey served with formaggio di fossa cheese is an old usage, once again in vogue for its excellence.

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