Page 35 of Gourmet Travel by Schweiz Tourismus

buon appetito italian-inspired cuisine in thoroughly swiss ticino in ticino it s easy to forget your day-to-day routine and live for the moment located between the german-speaking part of switzerland and italy ticino embodies the best that its neighbours have to offer welcoming when you re in this sun-drenched part of switzerland drinking an aperitivo gazing at the picturesque stone facades and listening to the rustling leaves of the chestnut trees in the breeze you feel as though you re a long way from the cares of the world all you need here is time to sit back relax and enjoy ticino with its magical beauty has so much to offer poetic landscapes stunning architecture and lots of great food and wine from gourmet restaurants to casual osterie cucina ticinese is prepared and served with skill and care around the grotto borei brissago the taste of ticino if forced to choose between breathing and eating a ticinese would opt for the latter here lunch and dinner are sacred natives approach them with a mixture of pleasure and reverence typically ordering a traditional dish such as risotto or polenta served with rabbit or freshwater lake fish the method of preparation is usually derived from the cuisine of neighbouring lombardy and in ticino the rule is often the simpler the better a good tip is simply to order one of the dishes on the chalkboard menu luganighe sausages brasato braised beef costine ribs with cazzöla vegetable stew or pesce in carpione tangy marinated fish usually whitebait or sardines ticino where the cuisine and the culture of the south come to life ticino offers pleasurable contrasts choose between plentiful local merlot poured from a traditional earthenware boccalino accompanied by a dish of polenta with braised rabbit served in a mountain grotto or a vintage wine served from a crystal carafe with a top chef s special risotto at a gourmet restaurant granite tables of the grotti traditional inns that were once storage caves for cured meats and aged cheeses with the locals you ll find yourself experiencing typical ticino joie de vivre winning wines ticino and merlot are natural partners this happy pairing happened about a hundred years ago phylloxera infection had ravaged the vineyards as it had in most of europe and winemakers faced ruin from bordeaux they introduced phylloxeraimmune merlot vines which immediately thrived in the climate and soil of ticino and soon delivered elegant ruby-red wines nowadays merlot accounts for 82 percent of ticino s 1,000plus hectares of vineyards and the grape variety has become almost synonymous with ticino wine merlots from ticino are also gaining in reputation abroad a new generation of innovative winemakers is producing barrel-aged wines that are scooping up prizes at international exhibitions rivalling some of the best growths of their native bordeaux 6 15 22 3 13 18 8 9 7 1 21 ticino turismo ch-6500 bellinzona tel +41 091 825 70 56 www.ticino.ch airolo 5 19 20 bellinzona ascona/locarno 17 16 12 10 4 lugano 14 11 23 risottata ascona 2 special events in 2007/2008 saturdays outdoor market with local produce bellinzona may medieval celebrations in bellinzona s three castles sep wine festivals the best are in locarno mendrisio and bellinzona s bacchica sep ­ oct ticino mountain cheese and formaggini small soft cheeses sold at the markets in piotta bellinzona and lugano oct more than 30 chestnut festivals throughout ticino with the largest in ascona and lugano nov san martino festival mendrisio more information at www.ticino.ch ticino 67

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