Listen to “273. South Tyrol: Tastes of the Mountain” on Spreaker.
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Discover the unique flavors of South Tyrol. Nestled in northern Italy, this stunning Alpine region blends Italian, German, and Ladin traditions to create a one-of-a-kind food culture. From speck and dumplings to local wines and mountain farm feasts, get a taste of South Tyrol’s delicious culinary heritage and find out where to enjoy the most authentic bites on your next trip.
Summary
In this episode, we are joined by South Tyrol experts Kate and Vin from Throne & Vine, to dive into the region’s vibrant blend of alpine and Mediterranean cuisine, award-winning wines, and insider tips on experiencing its authentic food culture – from speck and knödel to apple strudel and Törggelen feasts!
What you’ll learn in this episode
- The story behind travel company Throne and Vine and its mission
- An overview of South Tyrol’s rich regional identity and stunning geography
- How German, Italian, and Ladin cultures shape the region’s food and traditions
- South Tyrol’s leadership in organic farming and sustainable practices
- The tradition of Törggelen and fall harvest celebrations
- What makes South Tyrol a unique and underrated wine region
- The role of high-altitude vineyards and why most wine stays local
- How hiking and food go hand-in-hand in South Tyrol
- Local specialties like apples, apricots, chestnuts, and Alpine dairy products
- Traditional South Tyrolean breakfasts and distinctive cheeses
- Must-try dishes like speck, knödel, hirtenmakkaroni, and schlutzkrapfen
- The blend of hearty Alpine cuisine with Mediterranean influences
- Wine pairings with local dishes and standout varieties like Lagrein and Gewürztraminer
- How to find authentic dining spots and enjoy immersive food tours with local guides
- Find out more about Throne & Vine’s culinary day tours guided by local, sommelier and certified Tyrolean Gourmet Ambassador, Franz Lageder
Timeline Overview
- 04:07 South Tyrol’s diverse landscape and culture – the mountain region’s farming roots
- 09:17 Celebrating small, local dairy farms
- 12:49 Balancing tradition and modernity
- 18:50 Mountain delicacies and local delis
- 22:13 Deliciously knödel varieties
- 28:11 South Tyrol’s authentic farm taverns
- 30:19 Day tours – wine, cheese and castles
About our guests – Kate and Vin from Throne & Vine
Kate and Vin, award-winning storytellers, run Throne & Vine, a website dedicated to helping explore the South Tyrol. The site is their way to reveal all of the beauty, adventure, history and culture South Tyrol offers travelers. They dive deep, sharing the best South Tyrol experiences from wine getaways, hiking excursions, wellness retreats, culinary discoveries and much more. Throne & Vine has become a go-to resource for travelers around the world looking to plan an adventure unlike any other in this region.
Kate and Vin were several days into their first Italian adventure – like most tourists, they were seeking to explore some of Italy’s most popular destinations and after consuming the wonders of Venice and Verona, they rented a car, venturing north into what we then knew only as the “Italian Alps”. And then it happened. Almost instantly.
The splendor they encountered in South Tyrol shot an arrow straight through their wanderlust hearts. Travel would never be the same again. Their bucket list of countries to visit became meaningless clutter and the seed for Throne & Vine was planted on that first trip, as they felt like they had stumbled on Italy’s best-kept secret. When family and friends began questioning why they kept returning to the same place in Italy, they knew keeping the lid on South Tyrol forever was just not possible and Throne & Vine was born.
Follow Throne & Vine here
Italian places, foods and concepts mentioned
Places
- Merano – city surrounded by mountains known for its spa resorts
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Lago di Braies – a bright blue mountain lake in the heart of the Dolomites
- Texel Alps/Gruppo di Tessa – a mountain group of the Oetztal Alps
- Passeggiata Tappeiner – wine trail in Merano that goes from the hills above down into the town
- San Candido/Innichen – part of the Tre Cime Natural Park, in the Dolomites, on the border of Austria
- Hocheppan Castle – medieval castle on a hill with views over Etschtal/Adige Valley
- Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm – a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in Europe
- Prösels Castle – Gothic castle first built in the 1400s, though the site was originally built around 1200 by the Counts von Völs
- Ortisei – the largest of Val Gardena’s three towns and arguably the prettiest
Food / Drink
- chesnut hearts – a South Tyrolean dessert involving chestnuts, chocolate and cream
- Stelvio PDO – semi-hard cheese from the South Tyrol
- Lagrein – a cheese that is soaked in the wine of the same name
- Lagrein – the bold red wine of the region
- speck – a type of lightly smoked mountain ham
- marende – a local cheese and meat platter on which you will find the speck and Schüttelbrot crisp bread
- hirtenmakkaroni – meaning ‘shepherds pasta’ is a dish of pasta with cream, peas, mushrooms and ham, topped with grated cheese
- knödel – local bread dumplings
- speckknödel – dumplings made with Speck mountain ham
- tre knödel – a dish where you get a variety of 3 dumplings – cheese, speck and spinach
- schlutzkrapfen – pasta with a filling of spinach and curd (quark) served with melted butter, chopped chives and grated parmesan
- Gewürztraminer – white wine variety which works well in cooler climates like South Tyrol
- buschenschänke – a mountain farm tavern
Words / Concepts
- Ladin – a people/language related to Romansh, spoken by approximately 30,000 in the valleys of the Dolomites, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto
- Südtiroler Gasthaus – association of South Tyrol tavern-style restaurants committed to locally sourced and seasonal produce
- Törggelen – a centuries-old tradition celebrating the harvest’s new wine and involves a hearty hike in the afternoon, followed by an even more hearty feast and wine sampling in the evening. Occurring through much of the fall, from mid-September to mid-November
Related content on Untold Italy
Podcasts
- Ep 252 – Let’s go skiing in Italy – The Dolomites, Alps, and Beyond
- Ep 165 – Trip Consultation: Dolomites and South Tyrol
- Ep 153 – Christmas markets in South Tyrol
- Ep 128 – How to spend 5 days in South Tyrol and the Dolomites
- Ep 085 – Hiking the Dolomites
- Ep 064 – Stunning South Tyrol and the Dolomites
Articles
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