Traditional products to try for a taste of Ticino

No trip to Ticino is complete without sampling nocino, a digestive liqueur made from unripe walnuts. This sweet, lightly spicy and pleasantly bitter spirit is ubiquitous around the whole of Italian-speaking Switzerland, but is particularly common in Ticino, where it’s commonly brought out after a meal. It’s usually enjoyed by itself, but you might also find it served with gelato, ice cream, coffee or even in a cocktail.

This toasted cornflour is a thoroughly traditional product of Ticino, specifically the area’s green and fertile Onsernone Valley. Farina bóna was a significant part of the daily diet for much of the region’s population for many years, where it was mixed with water, milk, fruit or even wine. Thanks to its popcorn-like flavour, these days you’re much more likely to find it in sweet treats, such as ice cream, biscuits and cakes. Such is its popularity, there’s even an annual festival dedicated to it, Festa della Farina Bóna.

This ever-tempting dish is one of the most popular desserts in Ticino – you’ll soon understand why. The recipe consists of chunks of stale bread, dating back to times when bread was baked in vast quantities every few weeks. So as not to waste precious resources, the surplus bread that didn’t get eaten was made into what became torta di pane. The bread is dipped in milk to soften it, and combined with spices, fruit and nuts, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, raisins and almonds – and sometimes even grappa, to add an extra kick.

A Ticino staple, polenta is about as authentic as it’s possible to get when you’re searching for traditional regional cuisine. This Italian-originating dish is also deceptively simple. Although a basic polenta consists purely of cornmeal, to be prepared properly it needs to cook slowly – for several hours – and ideally over a fire. That’s how the brilliant golden colour and richness is achieved. Luckily, many authentic Ticino restaurants know exactly how to cook polenta, where you’ll find it served with anything from local cheeses to hearty stews.

Produced in La Valle di Muggio in the southernmost part of Ticino on the Swiss-Italian border, this distinctive cheese is made from raw cow’s milk, though the traditional method is to add a small quantity of goat’s milk as well, also raw. Keeping both milks unheated helps give the cheese its strong, unique flavour, as does the treatment of the surface with wine and salt during maturation, to stop mould from developing. Zincarlin is also often served with polenta, creating a truly local Ticino dish.

There’s so much more to be eaten and enjoyed around Ticino. Prepare to tuck in to further local specialities by planning your ideal gastronomic trip at ticino.ch/getaway.