“Dolce Varese”, “Disaronno”, “Elixir Borducan” … perhaps you are already familiar with these brands, maybe not, you will certainly want to taste them, at least once in your life. They are just a few of the most typical products of the Varese territory, cakes first of all, then alcoholic drinks and savoury dishes.
Entrées and main courses, meat and fish
The most important raw material of many dishes is rice. Either it is cooked “in cagnone” (boiled in water then flavoured with parmesan cheese, butter, sage and garlic) or served with perch fish fillets, a tasty risotto is always present in the list of dishes of our restaurants. A more “homemade” version, much linked to tradition, is “rice and milk”, where rice is boiled in milk, not in beef or vegetables broth.
We cannot fail to mention homemade ravioli stuffed with trout and chestnut floor dumplings.
As far as meat and fish are concerned, you cannot miss tasting “bruscitt” (minced beef cooked in broth with lard, bacon, red wine, garlic, fennel and butter, often eaten together with “polenta”) or even lake fish “in carpione”, a specific way of pickling into onions, sage, laurel, aromatic herbs, pepper and vinegar. This speciality is usually served cold.
Afterwards, a tasty platter with a sweet soft cheese from the Luino Valley and slices of “Violino di Capra”, a particular ham made by legs of goat or sheep, typical of the Val Veddasca mountains.
A taste of sweet
The most typical cake of Varese is of course the “Dolce Varese”, also known as Amor Polenta, which has a secret recipe and is customised by pastry chefs according to their own taste. The base component is corn flour, giving the characteristic yellow colour, mixed with dried fruit, almonds and hazelnuts.
It is usually covered with icing sugar or matched with jam or hazelnut cream for the sweet tooth.
Another famous cake is the “Brutti e Buoni “ ( Ugly and Tasty), crumbly biscuits which, as the name itself says, are not so beautiful at sight but are so delicious!. They were firstly cooked at the end of 19th century by Costantino Veniani; nowadays the still existing Veniani Pastry Shop in Gavirate produces them following the traditional recipe which includes hazelnuts, vanilla, egg white and sugar. They are shaped like candies and packed into envelopes or tin boxes.
Another kind of very particular cookie is “Amaretto di Gallarate”: a little soft biscuit made of peeled almonds, sugar, egg white, a flavour of bitter almonds and icing sugar. An alternative option is the Saronno one, based on sugar, apricot and peach seeds, egg white.
Would you care for a drink?
Have you ever tasted pink colour? Apollo 11 is the answer. An artisan drink born to celebrate a fundamental event for humanity, the Moon landing, it is supposed to be served cold, with a few ice cubes, only as itself or with the addition of other ingredients, such as champagne, tequila, gin and many others.
Famous all over the world, Disaronno is an artisan digestive drink of amber colour, having a specific taste of almond, which is one of the main components together with a bitter almond extract, spices, herbs, alcohol, sugar and water. It can be tasted by itself or combined with other drinks for incredible tastes.
Last but not least we have Elixir Borducan, a magical name for this essence which blends the flavours and fragrances of the Varese herbs with Sicilian oranges. If mixed with sparkling wine, it gives birth to Elikir.
In the end, so many ideas for unforgettable lunches, dinners, cocktails
Why not take advantage of the days between 25th and 31st July to taste our territory’s specialties, in the occasion of the World Rowing Championships Under 19 and Under 23?
