MentionPiedmont’sLangheregiontoa lover
offoodandwine,andwatchtheireyesgoas misty
as theregion’sever-presentfog.“Atthefootofthe
mountain”is theliteraltranslationofPiedmont,
Italy’smostnorth-westernregion.Hemmedon
threesidesbya razorridge,withtheSwissand
FrenchAlpstothenorthandwest,andLiguriato
thesouth,it is theseisolatingyetincubatingbarriers
thatmaketheregionananomaly.Piedmontis
a cradleandat theheartofit arethehillsand
valleyscalledtheLanghe,theterroirofItaly’s
mostnuancedwines(thinkBarolo,Barbaresco).
It’swhereyou’llfindItaly’sgastronomicholy
grail,hometosomeofthecountry’sfinestosterias,
andtheregion’slegendarywhitetruffles.
It is alsotheplacewhereI hadmycomingof
age.Intheearly2000s,post-highschool,I moved
fromBrisbanetoSydneyandbouncedaround
workingincafés.FromthereI fellintohelping
outonphotoshootsformagazines(includingthis
one).MagazinesweresomethingI hadcollected
asa teenandit wasthroughtheirpagesI travelled
theworld.It wasononeofthoseshootsthata
coupleofchefstalkedabouta “universityoffood
andwine”thathadjustopenedinItaly.A Google
searchrevealedit tobeat a castleinPiedmont,set
amongrollinghillscross-hatchedwithvineyards.
Withlittletolose,I wrotetothefacultyand
appliedfora scholarship.Bya miraclea fewweeks
later,I waslivinginthecharmingtownofBra,
embarkingona degreeinGastronomicScience.
WhenI firstmovedtoPiedmont,it wasnot
onthetraveller’smapasit is now.Turin,its
capital,wasconsideredtobea kindofEuropean
Detroit,andtheregionitselflackedthepostcard
familiarityofItaly’scentre,thesophisticationof
thenorth,andthesun-soakedchaosofthesouth.
It wasanunusualdichotomyoffadedregal
eleganceandindustry.Butit wasalsothehome
ofa storiedfoodculture,albeitonethatremained
enigmatic,andnowheremoresothantheLanghe.
Evenenteringtheregionbeforetheroadswind
intothehills,thereis a kindofforebodingtalisman
of its insulated nature: a bombed-out bridge from
theSavoyerawitharchedgatewaysoneitherside,
anda ghostofa crossingovertheTeneroRiver.
Brais oftenreferredtoastheGatewayofthe
Langhe.It’sthekindoftownthathasa raw-milk
vendingmachine,andit’snosurprisethatit is
at thecentreoftheSlowFoodmovement.It felt
likeI waslivingat theedgeofa gastronomically
enchantedforest.
It wastherethatI spentweekendsexploring.
Pryingopenthedoorsofcantinaswhose
structuredBarolosaresosoughtafterandtheir
winemakingsecretssosecretthattheyhadlittle
interestintourists,especiallystudents.Tickingoff
a listoffamily-runrestaurantswhoeachhada take
onregionalpastassuchasyolk-enrichedtajarin,
agnolottidelplin(a meat-stuffedbundle)orgnocchi
al Castelmagnowitha saucelikebesciamellabut
madesolelyoftherare,cave-ripenedbluecheese.
We’dshopat marketsforregionaloddities
likehunchbackcardoons,theconical-shaped
peperonediCarmagnola,blondonionsorbizarre
redcelery.Ineverylocaltown,we’dvisitbutchers,
eachwithdifferentspecialitiesofsausagesand
cuts:beeffromthePiedmontesecattle,rare
chickenbreeds.Here,theyindulgeinserious
offal,everythingfromthecockscombinthe
challengingfinanzeriatotherawmeatdishes
thatmakesteaktartareseempedestrian.
Morningswerespentincaféswithbicerin,a
traditionaldrinkfromTurinmadeofchocolate,
coffeeandcream.Thentherearethepasticcerie
makingallmannerofdelicatepastries,a legacy
fromtheFrenchregaltimes.Almosteverything
sweetcomesfromthealmond,cherry,walnut
andhazelnutgrovesthathemthelocalvineyards.
Marronglacé,andgianduja,theheavenlyunion
ofhazelnutandchocolate,bothhailfromhere.
Andfinally,comeautumn,there’sthefunof
huntingoneofnature’sjoys,tartufobianco,the
whitetruffle.It’stheperfectmetaphorforthe
region:elusiveandenchanting,covetedandelegant
yetinherentlyearthy.Somethingthatneedstobe
experiencedinsitu.Thehuntbeganformeinthe
Langhe, and the taste will never leave my mouth.●Aloveletterto...
LANGHE
ByDavid Prior
PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES.