''Pizzoccheri'' (; , ) is a flat ribbon

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

, made with a blend of

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

flour and wheat flour. It is believed to have originated in

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

, a valley in the northern Italian region of

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. It is also popular in Val Poschiavo, a side valley of Valtellina which belongs to the

Swiss canton The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the Federated state, member states of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important ...

Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...

. ''Pizzoccheri'' can be made by hand or can be purchased pre-made.

History

The dish was first identified in 1550, in the ''Category of Inventories of Things that May be Eaten in Italy'' by

Ortensio Lando Ortensio Lando or Landi ( – ) was an Italian writer of satires and translations. He is also sometimes known by a Latin pseudonym of Hortensius Tranquillus. Biography Ortensio Lando was born in Milan, Italy, and around the year 1523 he entered an ...

. In the 1799 book ''Die Republik Graubündent'' (''The Republic of Graubünden''), German historian Heinrich L. Lehmann wrote about a "perzockel" dough made from buckwheat flour and egg.

In popular culture

Two ''pizzoccheri'' fairs (or '' sagre'') take place in Teglio: ''La Sagra dei Pizzoccheri'', celebrated annually in July, and the festival of ''The Golden Pizzocchero'', celebrated annually in September. In 2002, the Accademia del Pizzocchero di Teglio was founded to promote traditional preparations of ''pizzocchero''. In 2016, the dish gained the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

's recognition of

protected geographical indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote ...

(PGI).

Variations

''Pizzoccheri della Valtellina'' – the original variation from Valtellina, is cooked along with greens (often Swiss chard, but also Savoy

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

), and cubed potatoes. This mixture is layered with pieces of Valtellina Casera cheese and ground Grana Padano or

Parmesan Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...

, and dressed with garlic lightly fried in butter. ''Pizzoccheri bianchi della Valchiavenna'' – from the area around Chiavenna, is quite distinct, being a form of '' gnocchetti'', often made from white wheat flour and dry bread.

References

Culture of Graubünden Cuisine of Lombardy Italian products with protected designation of origin Buckwheat dishes Swiss cuisine Types of pasta {{Pasta-stub