L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano T h e w i n t e r r o a d toward Cortina does not begin in the mountains. It b e g i n s i n t h e plains around Milan, where highways and rail lines run through industrial towns and f a r m l a n d . T h e l a n d s c a p e then gradually narrows and lifts and, after the lakes, the change becomes clear: snow appears on the slopes, houses h a v e s t e e p e r r o o f s , a n d menus change. Food adapts even before the first ski lift comes into view. La Cucina Italiana dedicated an entire issue to the Olympic territo- ries this month, where they treat the Games as both a sporting event and a culinary j o u r n e y t h r o u g h v a l l e y s whose identity appears in what their people put on the table. L e t u s b e c l e a r : i n t h e mountains, food was never a matter of fashion; rather, it w a s a l w a y s i n f l u e n c e d b y altitude and cold. Growing seasons have always been short, so storage and preser- vation – including drying, curing, and smoking – were and still are essential; neither should we forget that tradi- tional Alpine food was creat- e d p r i n c i p a l l y a s f u e l f o r labor, so it had to be heavy in calories. Cultivations, not only recipes, were affected by similar factors: wheat did not always grow reliably at eleva- tion, but hardier grains sur- v i v e d , a n d a n i m a l s c o u l d graze on high summer pas- tures. So, let us begin our food trip across Italy's Olympic lands, using La Cucina Ital- i a n a a s a g u i d e . M o v i n g north from Milan, we notice a c l e a r c u l i n a r y p a t t e r n , marked by buckwheat, but- ter, long-aged cheeses, and apples stored for the cold months. Dishes are designed to restore warmth after hours outdoors, offering a practical answer to life in wintry val- leys. Our first stop is Valtel- lina, around Bormio, where buckwheat, a crop suited to the valley's climate and ter- r a i n , a n d t h a t f e a t u r e s i n nearly every traditional dish, i s k i n g . T h e b e s t - k n o w n preparation is pizzoccheri, short buckwheat pasta rib- b o n s w i t h p o t a t o e s a n d greens, enriched with melted cheese and butter. Decadent- l y g o o d , p i z z o c c h e r i w e r e never, however, about luxury food and gourmet experi - ences: historically, the dish offered warmth and calories after hours spent outside, which is why it remains tied to skiing and cold weather. V a l t e l l i n a c h e e s e s l i k e C a s e r a a n d B i t t o ( b o t h protected designations) are equally earthy and whole- some. They reflect alpine dairying, which depends on summer pastures and care- ful aging. In nearby taverns, another buckwheat special- ty, sciatt, appears. These small fritters have a crisp exterior and molten cheese inside; delicious and easy to eat, they tie to the same pas- toral economy. What we are more likely to find in restau- rants, in other words, mir- rors a practical food system built on grazing animals, hardy crops, and recipes cre- ated to feed hungry stom- achs and warm cold bodies. L e a v i n g V a l t e l l i n a a n d moving east, the road climbs a g a i n t o w a r d T r e n t i n o . Here, the emphasis moves from grain to dairy. Around Predazzo and the Val di Fiemme alpine pastures, here known as malghe, are still at the heart of agricul- tural life. During the sum- m e r m o n t h s , c o w s a r e brought to higher elevations, and milk is transformed on site into cheeses full of the flavors of the grazing season. Among the most distinctive is Puzzone di Moena, or "the smelly one," a cheese known as much for its funny name as for its taste. Pro- duced according to precise standards overseen by its consortium, the Puzzone is intense in taste and smell, but appears across tradition- al tables in the region with regularity. Truth is that try- ing it becomes almost an ini- tiation ritual, an introduc- t i o n t o t h e s i m p l e , y e t uncompromising, flavors of the Dolomites. Past the Trentino border, t h e c u l t u r a l l a n d s c a p e changes subtly again; enter- ing South Tyrol and the A n t h o l z v a l l e y , t h e r o a d passes small farms, wood- piles stacked with care, and r o a d s i d e s t a n d s s e l l i n g honey, yogurt, and seasonal produce. Here, the culinary identity lies not in a single f a m o u s d i s h b u t i n a f u l l working pantry, where dairy remains central (think milk, butter, and fresh cheeses), but is complemented by pre- serves, grains, and beekeep- ing, all reflecting small-scale production. Shops and farm counters display what the season allows, and the con- nection between producer a n d c o n s u m e r f e e l s v e r y much direct; even regional cheeses such as the lean, tangy graukäse belong to t h i s c o n t e x t , m a d e o f resourcefulness and connec- tion with the land. The approach to Cortina d'Ampezzo offers us yet another culinary identity, influenced by Ladin tradi- tion and Dolomite geog- raphy: in Cortina, restau- rants serve dishes familiar to w i n t e r v i s i t o r s , w i t h o n e preparation appearing again and again: casunziei, deli- cate pasta pockets filled in the Ampezzo style with beet- root and topped with butter and poppy seeds. The bright color of their filling makes them immediately recogniz- able, but don't be fooled by their interesting appearance: their origin story, just like it has been for the other dishes we presented, is fully based on necessity. Root vegeta- b l e s s t o r e d w e l l t h r o u g h w i n t e r , a n d p a s t a d o u g h o f f e r e d a w a y t o s t r e t c h available ingredients into a satisfying meal: and this is why casunziei are the way they are. If we take these places a n d d i s h e s t o g e t h e r , w e obtain a true narrative that runs parallel to the sporting calendar: athletes and spec- tators move from venue to venue, while the surround- i n g c o m m u n i t i e s p r e s e n t their own story, based on how they have been living in unison and peace with the m o u n t a i n s f o r c e n t u r i e s . E a c h v a l l e y , h e r e , c o n - tributes a distinct flavor, yet all share a common ratio- nale rooted in altitude, sea- sonality, and work. Travelers may follow the competitions, but they end up tracing a culinary map as well, one that explains the mountains as effectively as any guide- book; and when the events c o n c l u d e a n d t h e c r o w d s t h i n , t h o s e f o o d s w i l l remain, continuing to serve r e s i d e n t s a s t h e y a l w a y s have. The Olympics provide the occasion to notice them, b u t t h e m e m o r y v i s i t o r s carry home – melted cheese, buckwheat pasta, and a bowl of casunziei eaten after a cold day – belongs to the mountains themselves. CHIARA D'ALESSIO A plate of casunziei, filled pasta from Cortina d'Ampezzo (Photo: Giulio Mignani/Dreamstime) The taste of the Dolomites: mountain foods along the Olympic route LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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