Tied to the farmer tradition, Canavese specialities are represented by simple and strong dishes, of rich and decisive taste.Among savoury preparations we must remember the cauliflower soup and the "ajucche" one (wild alpine herbs), the 'capunet' (a cauliflower roulade filled with meat), filled onions, 'tofeja' (stewed beans, pork rind and spices), the 'fricandò' (meat stew cooked in red wine and rosemary), and the 'salame di patata' (of potatoes and pork).
There are also many remarkable dairy products ("tome", herbs tomette and seasoned tomini (soft round cheese with white soft crust) or cheese-based preparations like the Salignun, a cheese mixture, chilli peppers and cumin seeds.
Desserts are also well structured, since they are borne of elements that are rich and nutritious, such as chocolate and hazelnuts. This ingredients give rise to a prevalently dry patisserie: the "canestrelli", fragrant wafers with chocolate and hazelnuts; amaretto biscuits; butter torcetti; melic pastries, made of butter and maize flour; the Chivasso "nocciolini", amaretto biscuits with hazelnuts, albumen and sugar; San Giorgio's "della Duchessa" chocolate biscuits; the 'eporediesi', soft cocoa biscuits.
Ivrea's 'torta'900' cannot be missed, with its chocolate sponge base, filled with cocoa cream; Ivrea's 'polentine', delicate sponge sweets; and the 'canavesani alla grappa', rich chocolates filled with liquor.
Chivasso's nocciolini
Ivrea's torta 900