BRIANZA CUISINE beyond the Cassouela
Discover the variety and depth of Brianza cuisine that goes beyond traditional dishes such as cassoeula. A journey through precious mushrooms, oils, aromas and spices.
Hidden Treasures: Mushrooms and Truffles
According to Giovenale, young people from Brianza were sure to find prized mushrooms and truffles in the local woods, a tradition also confirmed by Giovanbattista Giovio. These ingredients, still highly appreciated today, demonstrate the richness of the Brianza area and its ability to offer high quality products that go far beyond the best-known dishes and that have obviously conditioned Brianza cuisine.
Oil in the Brianza Tradition
Contrary to popular belief that sees butter as the main fat used in cooking, in Brianza oil has always played a predominant role. In the past, poppy and flax oils were used, and as reported by Carlo Annoni, olive trees were abundantly cultivated in Brianza. This tradition has left a lasting mark on the local cuisine, which still prefers oil to butter in many preparations.
Aromas and Spices: A Tradition of Variety
Brianza is renowned for the use of a wide variety of aromas: green onion and fennel leaves, celery, carrot, onion, parsley, sage, bay leaf, garlic, basil, thyme, juniper, rosemary, fennel seeds and rue. This aromatic richness gives Brianza dishes a complexity and depth of flavors that deserves to be explored and appreciated.
The Villan Gastronomy and the Re-Knowledge Menu
The peasant and traditional gastronomy, or peasant and traditional cuisine, has recently been celebrated by the IButticè chefs of the Il Moro restaurant in Monza with their “Re-Knowledge Menu”. This initiative involved scholars and enthusiasts of local gastronomy, one above all Dr. Fumagalli Loredana, in a research project that aims to rediscover and enhance the rural gastronomic culture of Brianza in a contemporary, elegant, tasty and sustainable sense.
Looking beyond the Cassoeula
The Butticè chefs of Il Moro Ristorante are convinced that a land with such a rich and transversal biodiversity can inspire a cuisine that goes beyond the cassoeula. Brianza offers a vast and varied gastronomic heritage that deserves to be explored in all its facets, from the precious mushrooms to the scents of aromatic herbs, from the use of oil to the peasant and aristocratic tradition.
The rediscovery and enhancement of these traditions not only enrich the culinary offer, but also contribute to preserving a cultural heritage of inestimable value, inviting everyone to look beyond the best-known dishes and discover the true roots of Brianza’s gastronomy and cuisine.
A research was launched with a team of enthusiasts and scholars of Brianza gastronomy during the Habsburg, Napoleonic and Savoy dominations.
FAQ
What are some of the lesser-known ingredients of Brianza cuisine? Brianza cuisine uses fine ingredients such as mushrooms and truffles, as well as a wide variety of aromatic herbs, in the Ri-Conoscenza Menu the selection of ingredients has been made by involving small producers in Brianza.
What role does oil play in the culinary tradition of Brianza? In Brianza, oil has historically played an important role, often preferred to butter, with the use of poppy and flax oils and the cultivation of olive trees.
What is Peasant Gastronomy? Villana gastronomy refers to traditional peasant cuisine, recently celebrated by the IButticè chefs of the Il Moro restaurant in Monza in an original, contemporary and elegant perspective.
