Indulging and exploring food in Bolzano, part 2

In part 1, I talked about dishes that were local to the Bolzano area. In this post, I’ll talk about some the come from further afield, at least as I understand them.

First up is a “strudel” made with radicchio (aka chicory) and mozzarella.

Apple strudel is a very well known local specialty. Shortly after we moved to Bolzano, there was a strudel festival (the only one while we there in fact), and we tried 5 (we were golosi even then) different kinds before it started raining and all the vendors packed up.

We didn’t get a chance for apple strudel this time. Or rather, we had a chance, but it was at the same time as the Faschingkrapfen and the Buchweizentorte, (see part 1) and we didn’t have room for a third thing. Sadly, since I think it would have been a better choice than the Faschingkrapfen.

I think that neither radicchio nor mozzarella are (or were) typical ingredients in Bolzano, which is why this strudel is in part 2. Anyway, this strudel was quite good. Thanks, A, for choosing the restaurant!

Next up is a dish that I don’t remember having, so I don’t for sure that it’s not typical of the Bolzano region (it could be — maybe someone can clarify in the comments): chestnut orzotto. Orzotto is similar to risotto but made with barley instead of rice. In this one, the supporting liquid was made from chestnuts. It was fun to try, but I don’t think I’d have it again. Thanks, E for the opportunity to try it and expand my horizons!

Next up is the piadina, which is a tasty treat of grilled flatbread typically filled with things like ham, a special cheese called squacquerone (or a good mild stringy, melty cheese), and arugula.

The piadina is from the middle of Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. We first had them on a very foggy night in Ferrara, where our friend S was going to school. In Bolzano, there was a little stand we would walk to occasionally about 15-20 minutes away to get piadinas. They were worth the walk. Thanks, S, for letting us revisit this treat!

Last, but not least, is the “coda di rospo” fish, which has a bunch of different names. I had never heard of this fish before we moved to Italy, but it is very tasty (and also apparently not an ecological problem). Here it was served with fusilli pasta, and having fish with pasta seemed strange the first time we had it in Italy many years ago, but yesterday it seemed completely normal. Thanks again, A, for letting us revisit another treat!

We had a few more things in Bolzano, mainly side dishes, but these were the particular highlights. Thanks again to everyone who facilitated our culinary adventures.