Food in Turin

Italy’s cuisine is God’s gift to my children. Finally, food they want to devour.

My daughter had a whole strategy to avoid eating the food served to her at school for lunch when we were living in Calais. She’d shove some things to the side or mix it all together to make it look like she had eaten more than she had. Sometimes she’d just put her napkin over top. They serve fish, mom, I can’t do it.

But here in Italy she wants to eat it all. Spaghetti with ragu, lasagna and pizza with only a few toppings.

My son is the same as he licks his plate clean.

They both loved the agnolotti, a ravioli type pasta that originated in the Piedmont countryside.

In anticipation of our time in Turin, we watched Stanley Tucci’s new show on Disney, Tucci in Italy. While he doesn’t cover Piedmontese style food, he definitely got us excited for the simplicity and deliciousness of Italian meals.

Moments after arriving I see a store selling confetti - Italy’s candy-covered almonds which Tucci features in his episode on Abruzzo. I buy some white candied almonds, obviously. The kids choose some red candies filled with chocolate and tell me they taste just like Smarties. But better, I say, right?

As usual, I want to try everything that is unique to this area. I start our first morning off with a bicerin, a Turin hot drink made with espresso, ganache, and frothed milk which is elegantly layered in a small glass. We all order pastries and enjoy sitting under a portico as people pass by.

There are so many signs inviting you in for a spritz and some snacks.

I have one Aperol spritz late in the afternoon and I buy a few bottles of an aperitivo with piemontese flavourings to enjoy as we sit in different piazzas.

We wander through Mercato Central Turino, the city’s largest market that is divided into four quadrants with some stalls inside and many more outside. We grab some focaccia pizza and sit in the shade.

We eat so much gelato with my top flavours being rosemary and caramel and vermouth.

The candy stores are candy for the eyes! We buy some Leone mints because the tin is to die for.

I tried a few local wines as well. A glass of Arneis when we are out for dinner and then at the grocery store I bought a bottle of Barbaresco and a bottle of Cortese. There’s no way I’ll finish all this but it’s cheaper than buying a single glass at a restaurant. We also bought a bottle of Limoncello that we drink with soda water. It’s a lovely thing to sip when the temperature is +36.