16 Traditional Turin Foods To Try in 2024
The diverse range of Turin foods provides visitors with a menu that pulls inspiration from fields, farms and seas in unique and surprising ways. Visiting the capital of the Italian region of Piedmont makes the prospect of enjoying Turin food even more enticing. Even if you can’t make the journey, many quintessential Turin foods are Italian specialties you already know and love.
What cuisine is Turin known for? Can certain ingredients, recipes or presentations clue you in on the fact that you’re enjoying Turin food? This quick guide exploring the best of the city’s culinary scene explains 16 fabulous dishes, all prime selections that offer a taste of what Turin food contributes to Italian cuisine.
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Get a Taste of Turin, Italy Food
Forging a path to the finest examples of Turin food can begin with food tours in Italy that show you the way. Choose from many excursions led by local experts who love showing off all the delicious corners of their favorite city. From cafés and eateries offering tabletop delights to boutiques and shops providing take-along treats, you’ll have a first-hand encounter in one of the best foodie cities in Europe.
16 Traditional Turin Dishes To Try
1. Agnolotti al Plin
This ravioli-like pasta can be enjoyed in several authentic Turin foods. In agnolotti al plin, each pillowy pouch is formed from a single sheet of pasta, stuffed with a combination of beef and cabbage and folded like a pillowcase. The finished agnolotti is then topped with either a creamy butter and cheese sauce or dressed in more broth-like liquid.
2. Tajarin
If you’ve ever enjoyed a dish featuring tagliatelle pasta, you’ve eaten an alternative version of tajarin. This dish is a Piedmont staple, offering thin strands of pasta that can be served as twisted nests topped with meat or simple sauces. The most authentic version of tajarin features an egg-rich dough that can use up to 40 egg yolks with a kilo of flour to produce the essential taste and texture.
3. Vitello Tonnato
Among the most distinctive of Turin dishes, vitello tonnato offers a unique combination of unexpected flavors. Thin slices of veal are topped with a creamy tuna-flavored sauce that’s similar to mayonnaise. The finished platter is sprinkled with anchovies and capers and served cold as an antipasto, or appetizer plate. Though vitello tonnato originated as a dish for peasants, it presents as a refined creation made from simple ingredients.
4. Battuta al Coltello
The name “battuta al coltello” translates to “knife fight,” a reference to the finely honed blade used to create this traditional Turin food. Essentially a lightly-seasoned version of beef tartare, battuta al coltello is served cold and features Fassona Piemontese beef, famous for its lean structure and tender texture. A light-handed addition of lemon juice, oil and salt lets the lush flavor of the beef shine through.
5. Brasato al Barolo
Barolo wine and succulent beef combine to become brasato al barolo, a prime example of food from Turin that’s simultaneously rustic and gourmet. The wine used to marinate the beef transforms into a succulent sauce that tops the finished dish. For the ultimate in tender texture and rich flavor, the beef may be marinated overnight with vegetables to add extra flavor.
6. Gnocchi al Castelmagno
Castelmagno cheese is a Piedmont specialty used in pasta dishes like gnocchi al Castelmagno. This dish of tender potato dumplings dressed in a simple yet decadent cheese sauce is a regional twist on mac and cheese and serves as a hearty comfort food creation for days when the weather turns chilly.
7. Gianduiotto
Though you may never have heard of gianduitto, you’ve likely tasted something similar. This food holds the distinction of being history’s first wrapped chocolate candy! Though this blend of silky chocolate and creamy hazelnuts is a flavor combination the world knows best as Nutella, the truest version of this Turin food uses Piedmont hazelnuts to achieve a taste that’s special to the region.
8. La Panissa Vercellese
Blend risotto with salami, wine and beans and you’ll end up with panissa vercellese, a traditional dish created as a breakfast to feed farmers before a long day’s work. Slow cooking helps break down the starches in the rice to achieve a rich body that’s perfect for holding tender beans, hearty vegetables and indulgent salami. The tastes and textures make this a Turin food that’s not to be missed.
9. Torta di Nocciole
Gluten-free eaters will be ecstatic to learn this sweet treat is suitable for their eating requirements! Torta di nocciole is a dense cake made from ground hazelnut flour. It’s a traditional Turin dish that locals enjoy with coffee or wine. It’s another example of how the region’s fantastic ingredients lend complex layers to simple dishes, which in turn have come to represent the truest of Turin foods.
10. Bagna Càuda
Bagna càuda is a traditional dish originally enjoyed by farming communities to celebrate the good fortune of an abundant harvest. Anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter merge in a heated pot and become a powerfully-flavored dip ready to be scooped out of a communal pot with dense bread and sturdy vegetables. This Turin food, usually found on tables during fall and winter, is a soothing, festive dish best enjoyed with friends and family.
11. Lumache
A traditional pasta shaped like a snail’s shell, the perfect form for holding onto savory meat and luscious sauces. It’s a great pasta for using in soups or bakes, especially topped with cheese and bread crumbs. Aside from being a strong shape, the visual form of lumache, with its tight curl and ridged surface, makes this primo pasta one of the most elegant Turin foods ever created.
12. Tramezzino
These bite-sized sandwiches are made from white bread with the crusts removed and filled with a variety of elements from tuna to prosciutto. Tramezzino closely resembles small-bite sandwiches you might find at a formal tea. For anyone hoping to create their own Turin food to try at home, a tramezzino is an easy introduction.
13. Pizza al Padellino
Pizza al padellino is a Turin food that Americans know more familiarly as deep-dish pizza. The thick crust of this regional original remains soft in the center while achieving a crispy outer edge. The surface is filled with plenty of gooey cheese, seasoned meats and garden vegetables. A typical pizza al padellino is prepared in a small pan that doubles as a serving dish.
14. Bonet
The decadent custard dessert known as bonet is an elegantly sweet Turin food that makes appearances during the colder months. It’s a chocolate pudding made entirely without flour; the smooth texture is the result of egg yolks, milk, rum, cocoa and dried amaretti cookies being heated in a bain marie, similar to flan or crème brulee. Bonet is topped with caramel sauce and decorated with more amaretti cookies before being served in slices.
15. Bollito Misto
Bollito misto is a Turin food from the cozier side of the local menu. Comprised of dense cuts of meat and poultry stewed to tender perfection, bollito misto gives tougher cuts of meat a chance to soften up while slow-cooking, often in red wine. The finished meat can be enjoyed with a variety of sauces to add fresh flavor to the umami essences in the pot.
16. Grissini
If you’ve ever enjoyed a skinny, pretzel-like iteration of breadsticks on the table of your favorite Italian restaurant, you’ve indulged in an authentic grissini. These cracker-like crisps are fun to crunch on as a stand-alone snack or as a vehicle for dips and sauces. They’re the Turin food to try if you’re wandering through a gourmet kitchen store or artisan food shop and find boxed or bagged versions hiding among the shelves.
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Though getting your fill of traditional Turin food may entail a trip to the city itself, knowing what the region offers will help you identify these dishes at Italian restaurants in your area. It also allows you to create a wish list of Turin foods to try should your travels take you to this exquisite European destination.
If you’re intrigued enough by Turin food to make your own, you can bring the foods of Turin directly to your home table without having to make sure your passport is up to date!
For even more ways to explore Turin and beyond, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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