Piedmont

Piedmont in the northwest of Italy might just be the gourmet capital of the country. That’s a big achievement for a country as rich in culinary delights as Italy! The mountainous region shares a border with France and Switzerland and sits at the base of the Alps, studded with crystal-clear lakes and verdant valleys. It’s renowned for its agricultural bounty, home to decadent specialties including white truffles, Barolo wine, hazelnuts, and much more.

Chocolate is a major industry in Piedmont, and there’s no chocolate more characteristically Piedmontese than gianduja. It was created out of necessity in the early 1800s when Napoleon blocked all French allies—including Italy—from trading goods with the British. This restriction of British supplies included cocoa, which forced Italian chocolatiers to get a bit creative to stretch their supply. They turned to an ingredient they had in abundance: the plump, flavorful hazelnuts that grow in the Langhe mountains, just south of Turin. The chocolate masters created a spread of roughly 70% cocoa and 30% hazelnut paste, and gianduja was born! Today, Turin is famous for this delicious chocolate innovation.

Perhaps the region’s most prized food is the ultra-rare white truffle, which only grows in hills around Alba (it’s sometimes known as the Alba truffle). It’s beloved among food lovers worldwide for its deeply pungent, savory flavor that’s sometimes likened to aged cheese. The Piedmont truffle harvest also includes sweet, nutty summer truffles and earthy black winter truffles, and all three varieties are still foraged by skilled truffle hunters and their well-trained dogs, who sniff among the roots of oak and chestnut trees to find the precious tubers.

From truffle-infused pasta to jams, wine jellies, and plenty of chocolate, we’ve collected the best artisan foods from Piedmont here for you. Experience the bounty of Piedmont delivered right to your door with Giadzy.