Lake Garda's typical cuisine is characterised by its simplicity that focuses on taking advantage of the area's products. Genuine, fresh and seasonal, Lake Garda offers products from fishing, from the mountains and from hill cultivations: fresh water fish like trout, perch or carp (who only live in lake waters), but at the same time cheese from Monte Baldo and the tasty truffles from the surrounding hills to be combined with mushrooms and chestnuts, as well as the delicate asparagus served in a risotto. Heading just a few kilometres away Valeggio sul Mincio, you can taste its famous tortellini. You can get to Valeggio sul Mincio on a bike and then carry on along the bike trail that coasts the Mincio river until Mantua.
The cuisine is not just products made from the lake's fish, but the lake's land is also alive. The land provides widespread wine cultivations such as Bardolino and Amarone, which triumph on the table. Bardolino's the more simple wine, suitable for all occasions, whilst the esteemed Amarone wine, typical of nearby Valpolicella, is a delightful accompaniment for your more important moments. For a fish based evening we would recommend trying Bianco di Custoza, Lugana or Garda Classico and Soave. Light wines like the foods they can accompany, these too are typical of the Garda area. Without forgetting the dessert and, like the cherry on the cake, a traditional Durello dei Lessini, the more famous Franciacorta, or the sweet Reciotto are wines that are particularly suitable for hot summer evenings, to go with sweets and herb cheeses.
The Garda area is not just wines and, thanks to a micro-climate that is in part Mediterranean, the olive tree is widely found. One of Italy's most esteemed extra virgin oils comes from here, known for being delicate and with the added guarantee of being hand-picked. It is a light dressing, excellent for local dishes or to be simply tasted on its own on a tasty piece of bread. Those wishing to further their knowledge of two thousand year old products such as wine and oil, at Bardolino (5 km from the Hotel Corte Valier), can visit the oil museum (www.museum.it) to better appreciate the history of a product of irreplaceable nutritional value.
USEFUL LINKS:
Museo del vino a Bardolino
