Vini Enoteca: Last Night's Regional Dinner: Lombardy

Lombardy has a complex history and its cuisine varies drastically between its different cities and provinces.

The dishes of the mountains, lakes and plains of Lombardy reflect a variety of influences from the surrounding regions.

The cooking of Milan, which is reputed to be Italy’s most open-minded city, encapsulates this broad variety of influences.
Risotto alla Milanese, the golden saffron-infused rice dish, is an iconic regional specialty, as are cassoeula, the pork and vegetable one-pot stew, and veal osso bucco with marrow bone. These hearty winter dishes were designed to nourish the hardworking Lombardian after a long day’s toil.

Lombardy is a prominent cheese-producing region, with the area between the Alps and Ticino yielding cows that provide the highest quality of milk.

Taleggio is a typical Lombard soft country cheese, and has a runny consistency with a mildly tangy flavour, and is ideal for finishing off a meal.