Food-and-Wine-Routes in the Valnerina

Food-and-Wine-Routes in the Valnerina

The gastronomic delicacies of the Valnerina are like an echo of the natural beauties. We can find a really surprising quantity of specialities in every part of the area, which are quite sought-after by gourmets and appreciated all over the world.

Alone the town of Norcia can boast about its sausages and cold meat production amazingly in its quality and quantity, in which there is an ancient tradition behind the production of the “norcino”, a name that reflects the origin of this sausage speciality. One of the most known sausages and cold meat delicacies is the ham “Prosciutto di Norcia”, to which has been assigned the mark of quality IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) that certificates the high quality and the origin of the product.

And then there is the black truffle, the “Tartufo Nero di Norcia'', another much sought-after product that has an intense taste and a distinctive aroma. Due to its rare occurrence and its rather high price it is a culinary delicacy used and tasted sparingly, so for example on the exhibition-market Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero di Norcia, that takes place every year in February.

Another delicious and sought-after product are the lentils “Lenticchie di Castelluccio'', cultivated naturally and therefore a real praise for the biological cultivation.

Finally we want to mention a product the cultivation of which has been introduced only recently in large amounts, but in spite of this has already aroused the interest of the gourmets: the saffron Zafferano Purissimo di Cascia (crocus sativus), a colourful flower from which is extracted the precious and delicious saffron. At the end of October at Cascia an exhibition-market is dedicated to it, the Mostra Mercato dello Zafferano di Cascia, where one can taste apart from the saffron also the other specialities of the region.