Torgnon Pure Emotion
Tradition and Taste
The Aosta Valley is a region which is rich in flavours and specialties to discover and enjoy and Torgnon is no exception! Be prepared for rich breakfasts based on mocetta salami and currant jam, inviting lunches with polenta concia, appetising moments with local desserts. All the specialties which you will taste here are almost exclusively produced in our region and bear witness to the passion of local inhabitants for a gastronomic tradition which is handed down from generation to generation and just waiting to be fully enjoyed.
Traditional dishes
Torgnolette
Torgnolette, a real specialty based on potatoes and fontina cheese, was created by the Coeur Torgnolein Association on the occasion of Torgnon d’Outon festival; this dish is now proposed by several restaurants in the village.
Here is the recipe for 4 - 6 people:
- 6 mountain potatoes
- 2 leeks
- 150 grams of stretched bacon
- 50 gr. of butter
- 300 gr. of mountain Fontina DOP from the Aosta Valley
- Salt to taste.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices that are not too thin. Cook them in water, taking care to remove them from the pot when they are not yet completely cooked to prevent them from falling apart during the composition of the dish. Meanwhile, stew the leeks and the chopped bacon in a pan in hot butter. Season with salt. Compose the "Torgnolette" in an ovenproof dish alternating potatoes, leeks and pancetta, sliced Fontina. Finish cooking in the oven at 180 ° for about half an hour and finally brown the surface. Enjoy your meal!
Fontina Cheese
Fontina is an excellent characteristic and regional cheese with a long history; it was already known in 1270. Produced exclusively with raw whole milk of Valdostan cows fed on green forage in summer and local hay for the rest of the year, it has a slightly acidulous flavour and intense fragrance. Traditionally fontina is prepared in the mountain pastures by the “freuté” (the cheesemakers). From the milk serum used to make the fontina comes Brossa, white foam produced by boiling the serum. It is taken with a flat wide ladle and poured on top of the polenta.
Polenta Concia
Characteristic and traditional dish of the Aosta Valley, it originates from the extraordinary pairing of polenta with the irresistible flavour of fontina combined with other local cheeses. The result is a tasty and irresistible dish, ideal on cold winter evenings.
Aosta Valley Coffee
The main ingredients for a good coffee Aosta Valley style are a group of people on holiday and a cheerful evening after a beautiful day. Mix the ingredients to make the Cup of Friendship, symbol of hospitality and conviviality throughout the Aosta Valley. Its typical low shape, wide and equipped with characteristic spouts which are used to drink “à la ronde”, makes it easier to pass from hand to hand, offering each person their own sip of Aosta Valley coffee. Put the liqueurs, the sugar, the orange peel and a little orange juice to heat in a pot, until the sugar is melted. Meanwhile pass a little orange juice around the hole of the lid, and then sprinkle with sugar. Now pour the liqueurs and coffee into the cup and light the fire inside it. After a minute put the lid on to put out the fire and enjoy it with friends.
The Grolla
The Friendship Cup should not be confused with the Grolla. The latter has a lengthened shape and legendary origins which some even date to the Holy Grail. The Grolla also has the function of stimulating conviviality and friendship; it is used to drink with friends in turn from a single chalice. Today it is no longer used for drinking. The grolla was originally a simple cup for convivial drinking, but today it is a contemporary item and used as an ornament and jewellery box.