A symbol of Bergamo, Casoncelli with butter and sage is one of the most beloved dishes of Bergamo’s culinary tradition and represents its authenticity.
Each family has its own secret little variations, but they all share the same shape: a precious crescent-shaped casket enclosing a tasty filling.
It began as a poor man’s dish, a fresh pasta in which to enclose, expertly blended, leftovers. Today, the recipe for Casonsèi de la Bergamasca follows a precise specification that protects its production. The filling is rich: pears, beef and pork, raisins, macaroons. grana padano cheese, spices, bread, eggs and lemon zest. An explosion of flavor!
Since 2016, the city has held De Casoncello, a festival entirely dedicated to the celebration of this delicious typical dish. Throughout the rest of the year you can taste Casoncelli in all the typical restaurants in the city and province. You just have to find out where the best ones are eaten!
Like Casoncello, polenta also has its origins in peasant tradition.
Made from cornmeal, water and a pinch of salt, it was cooked in traditional copper cauldrons and served as an accompaniment to meat, cheese and vegetable dishes. Its versatility and satiating power made it a staple of the local diet until after World War II. From there on, we find it on the table on Sundays when the family is gathered, accompanied by rabbit, pot roast or other meat delicacies.
In addition to the simple recipe, which is much loved, polenta becomes taragna, tuando it is mixed with butter and local cheeses. To be tried at all costs!
Taragna is enjoyed steaming, in particular, in the villages of the upper Brembana Valley, while the simple recipe you can appreciate in all the typical restaurants in the area and sometimes, you will find it expressed in extremely original recipes.
Even polenta has its festival is the Festa della Taragna in Stabello, Val Brembana. September sees the unmissable appointment with one of Bergamo’s most beloved festivals. The golden queen is accompanied by wild boar, roe deer, kebabs and cotechini meats and good local wine. Thousands of foodies await this gathering to sit at the long tables and enjoy the feast.
