7 delicacies to taste in Pontremoli

Perhaps the most iconic dish of Pontremoli and Lunigiana cuisine is Testarolo, now a Slow Food Presidium. A first course born from the poor tradition, but symbolic and delicious. Testarolo is made from a semi-liquid mixture of wheat flour, water and coarse salt that is cooked in testi (a round pan and its cast iron lid, formerly in terracotta, typical of Lunigiana cuisine).

The mixture is then poured directly into the red-hot testo (sottano), previously heated on the fire, and then covered by the other testo (soprano) and the embers. This process gives the disc of pasta a “spongy” consistency with the typical little holes that distinguish it. The disc is then cut into diamonds that are blanched in water, drained and then usually seasoned with oil and parmesan or Ligurian pesto.

Pontremoli cuisine is rich in traditional peasant flavors prepared with seasonal raw materials and enriched by the great variety of wild herbs that become the protagonists in savory pies. Among them, the torta d'erbi stands out: a savory pie prepared, according to tradition, with wild herbs and seasonal vegetables (chard, borage, leeks...) that are mixed with ricotta, pecorino, eggs and breadcrumbs.

The dough, whose ingredients can vary during the year, is placed between two layers of thin puff pastry, cooked in the oven or even better in the testi. Once ready, the pie is served in squares, but don't eat too many because dinner is still long!

On the table of a Lunigiana dinner, you can't miss the karsenta, traditional Pontremoli bread ideal to accompany traditional dishes. Characterized by a round and flat shape and a golden and crunchy crust, the karsenta is prepared with soft wheat flour and its processing involves a long leavening that gives it a soft and light consistency inside.

This rustic bread, distinguished by its delicate and fragrant flavor, was the first dish of the Pontremoli gastronomic tradition to be decorated with the De.C.O. recognition (Denominazione Comunale di Origine).

Among the mountains of Lunigiana, in particular the area that goes from Pontremoli to Zeri, we find part of the production and protection area of ​​an excellent variety of porcini mushrooms known as “Fungo PGI di Borgotaro” that entered the market in the 17th century and, unlike other varieties of porcini mushrooms, are characterized by a meaty consistency, clean smell and fragrant aroma, not spicy and without hints of hay or wood.

These mushrooms are suitable for many preparations. They can be dried, frozen or in oil, they can be used to prepare tasty sauces with which to season first courses or they can be eaten raw in salads and used as a condiment for second courses.

You can't visit Pontremoli without enjoying a tasty and relaxing break in the cafés of the historic center to taste the amor! This sweet delicacy comes from the ancient tradition of the Engadine pastry chefs who arrived here, as in other areas of Lunigiana, in the 19th century. It consists of a double square wafer that contains a generous layer of cream whose recipe is still secret and jealously guarded by local chefs.

Tip for eating them: you have to delicately bite the wafer a little at a time, gradually licking the cream that overflows the sides so as not to let it fall!

Another dessert to taste in Pontremoli, the undisputed star of the cold winter months, is the spongata. This typical dessert of Lunigiana and the mountainous area between Liguria, Emilia and Tuscany, has been popular in Pontremoli since the 19th century and today comes in different variations depending on where it is prepared.

Specifically, the spongata pontremolese is made of a pastry and a filling of dried fruit, honey, raisins, pine nuts and candied fruit accompanied by the scent of spices that guarantee an explosion of flavors!

Finally, not everyone knows that in the streets and squares of Pontremoli you can taste cocktails that are unique in the world!

In Piazza Duomo, in the shadow of the bell tower that once separated the Guelph part of the city from the Ghibelline part, you will find the Bianco Oro: a drink with an unknown but patented recipe, served in a large glass of sparkling wine, the surface of which is enriched with a floating lemon peel.

In other cafès in the center you can instead taste the Rabarbaro, a digestive liqueur formulated almost a century ago by Dr. Zampetti, and the alcoholic aperitif Stordente, born in the early seventies and since then a great classic for the people of Pontremoli!