Local Produce from Milan
Discover the top Milan local produce
Amaretto is an almond-flavoured Italian liqueur. Disaronno, the liqueur company that came up with this aromatic marzipan beverage, claim the recipe is unchanged since its secret formula was developed in 1525. The recipe includes burnt sugar, fruit and herb essences soaked in apricot kernel oil. Production remains in Saronno, a commune of Lombardy, but the beverage is distributed worldwide. It is a popular after dinner drink served with or without ice and goes particularly well with coffee. According to the Disaronno website, their amaretto is nut-free and is therefore safely consumed by people with nut or related allergies.
Arborio
This rice is used mainly for making risotto, but is also used for rice pudding. It comes from the Po Valley in the Lombardy region.
Campari
Campari was developed by Gaspare Campari in 1860 in Novare, a province west of Milan. Its distinctive red colour was originally derived from carmine dye made from crushed cochineal insects. It is typically served with soda, as a spritz of prosecco, or used in cocktails.
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola is now a Milan suburb, but according to legend was once a town where the famous blue-veined cheese originated in 879 AD. This creamy cheese, made from unskimmed cow's or goat's milk, can be buttery or firm in texture, crumbly and quite salty. Gorgonzola's first name was 'stracchino di Gorgonzola" referring to the green marble (mould) effect achieved by autumn milking when the cows (or goats) returned from mountain pastures.
Grana Padano
This semi-hard cow's cheese, similar to Parmigiano Reggiano but less-aged, was created nearly 1,000 years ago in the Po Valley region of Lombardy. It is usually aged for 12-36 months - the maturation period making the cheese more crumbly in texture. Its name is protected under the designations for the origins of cheese and as such the words "Grana" and "Padano" should never be used without the other.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone, a triple-cream cheese, is a regional Lombardy speciality, used most famously as one of the main ingredients in the super rich Italian dessert, tiramisu. It is made from crème fraiche, tartaric acid and sometimes, buttermilk. It is not in fact a cheese, and is made in much the same way as yoghurt. Mascarpone originated in Lodi, southwest of Milan in the late 16th or early 17th century.
Salame di Milano
Milanese salami, made from finely-grained pork and beef meat, was historically made in Milan, though nowadays it is made in Brianza. Pick some up in local delicatessens or sample it during one of the many 'aperitivo' hours.
Taleggio
Taleggio cheese has very old origins, perhapswas even being produced before the start of the 10th century. Its origin area is the Val Taleggio, in the province of Bergamo in northern Lombardy - hence the name of the cheese. The inhabitants of this valley, in order to preserve the excess milk, began to produce some cheese that, once seasoned in "caves" or in their valley farm, could be exchanged with other products or commercialised. This soft cheese has a thin rind of soft consistence with a natural rose colour and has a characteristic grey and green light sage coloured mould. It is sweet in taste and slightly aromatic, sometimes with truffle aftertaste; the odour is characteristic and much stronger.
