5784 Cafe culture

The ‘café culture’ is a fundamental part of normal Piedmont life and a whole social order revolves around stopping in the bars and restaurants. Even the smallest villages will have at least one bar which doubles as a coffee shop and general meeting place.

It’s worth noting that if you want to blend with the locals never drink Cappuccino after 10am. Cappuccino is considered to be a breakfast only drink after which most Italians progress to drinking espresso

Drinking aperitifs is a fundamental part of Piedmonts café culture. This is the wonderful tradition of serving snack food with drinks [not coffee]. When you order drinks in the aperitif hours you can enjoy accompanying snacks ranging from simple bowls of nuts, to bite sized pieces of fresh pizza and delicious savoury dips. There are two ‘aperitifo’ periods’ in a day and it is difficult to be precise about exact times. The first commences just before lunch which in Piedmont means somewhere around 12 midday and before 1pm. The second occurs in the early evening around 5.30 pm until 7.30 pm. This is normally the busiest time in the town centres, when the Piedmontese indulge in their love of strolling, shopping and simply being seen socialising with friends. Bars compete with each other to provide the best aperitif’s so check around to find the best.

Eating Out – Understanding the Menu [if there is one]

When eating out in Piedmont don’t always expect a menu, the food of the day in many restaurants will be influenced by what is in season and what has been sourced fresh that morning, normally from a local market. Generally, because most food is prepared fresh, restaurants prefer to have notice of guest numbers so booking is advisable, also let them know in advance if you have special dietary requirements.

If you do get a menu, it will normally be divided into different sections under the headings: Antipasti; Prima Piatti; Contorni; Secondi Piatti; and Dolci. Roughly translated this corresponds to Starters, First Course, Side dishes/Vegetables, Second Course and Dessert. The Antipasti are a Piedmont speciality and a typical Piedmont lunch can include many courses of Antipasti. See the Food page on our we site to find examples of all the different courses. Don’t worry if your Italian is not perfect because most proprietors will take pride in choosing something for you to eat and surprising you with a long sequence of different dishes. It is not uncommon to be offered a tasting menu of pre-selected dishes for you to try. In the evenings it is perfectly acceptable to select items from only one section of the menu, for example to order only a first course or to order several courses of antipasti only. If you can stick the pace, the deserts can be wonderful and there are various wonderful local cheeses. Grissini [slim breadsticks] and or bread rolls are normally served at the beginning of your meal and often provided at no additional cost. Some restaurants [particularly in more tourist frequented towns] will add a standard cover charge for service but it is not a widespread practice. Tipping is not necessary or expected and indeed may be insulting in some circumstances.

There are an exceptionally large number of restaurants in the Piedmont, all inspired by a more or less traditional territorial cuisine. Many are internationally famous; others express their creativity as simple trattorias. Wine bars or modern taverns are becoming more common, focusing on the service of wines accompanied by good typical dishes.

Lunch
Whatever you decide to do in Piedmont it is important to understand that everything stops for lunch! For at least two hours every day everything stops for food. Most people go home because the norm is to work only a few miles from where you live. Even in Turin [Piedmont’s capital] most of the shops close around 12.30 and do not open again until after three. The Piedmontese love to eat well and they take their food and wine very seriously, lunch is the main meal of the day and Sunday lunch with the all the family is often bigger again