Food & Wine
The South Tyrolean cuisine offers a wide variety of dishes in which Italian-Mediterranean specialities meet typical Alpine delicacies. This special combination of flavours can be enjoyed in South Tyrol's gourmet restaurants as well as in the region's inns and mountain huts.
The Alpine-Mediterranean combination, typical of the South Tyrolean cuisine, takes inspiration from the best aspects of the two culinary worlds and pampers every palate. Local appetizers offer South Tyrolean specialities such as dumplings, gnocchi or spaetzle, as well as Italian specialities such as pasta, ravioli or risotto. The origin and the quality of the ingredients are very important. Ingredients such as eggs or Speck (bacon) only come from the farm and not from the wholesaler.
Asparagus from Terlano, apricots from Val Venosta/Vinschgau, strawberries from Val Martello/Martelltal, potatoes from Val Pusteria/Pustertal and vegetables and fruit from local farmers usually arrive directly from the field at the restaurant and are used to prepare fresh and tasty dishes.
Highlight
The "Törggelen" is a true culinary highlight in South Tyrol. Particularly in the Valle Isarco/Eisacktal, the Val d'Adige/Etschtal and the Bassa Atesina/Untarland the Törggelen tradition is very popular in autumn. Local homemade Schlutzkrapfen, various types of dumplings or soups, such as barley soup, celery and potato cream or pumpkin cream, are served as appetizers. The main course is called "Schlachtplatte" and consists of a traditional South Tyrolean dish with "Surfleisch" (salt meat), homemade sausages, dumplings and sauerkraut. Of course there is also the dessert: traditional homemade sweet Krapfen pastries and roasted chestnuts. Törggelen is very popular with tourists and locals alike.
In South Tyrol in spring it comes the asparagus season. Especially in Terlano/Terlan, Vilpiano/Vilpian and Settequerce/Siebeneich the cultivation of South Tyrolean asparagus has a century-old tradition. Here you can enjoy tasty asparagus dishes, accompanied by local wines such as Sauvignon and Pinot Blanc. Every year at the end of April there is the Asparagus Festival of Terlano, one of the main highlights of the asparagus season.
South Tyrol is also a well-known wine region and boasts a unique variety of high-quality wines produced by local wineries and winegrowers. Every year, wine lovers from all over the world come to South Tyrol to taste these unique wines.
Do you want to take your palate to the discovery of new worlds? In South Tyrol you will find flavours to suit all tastes!