The Lombard cuisine is probably best known for being on the heavy side with strong tasting and substantial dishes.
Butter is often used and ingredients normally associated with France like frogs' legs, snails and goose are often found on the menu.
Fish and seafood Freshwater fish is popular in Lombardy. Eel is also quite common and in some places it is possible to feast on crayfish.
Sausages and ham Lombardy is the region where a whole range of sausages are produced, not just from pork but also from goose, horse, goat and deer.
Because goose is so popular in Lombardy, production of special sausages made from this tasty bird is a natural progression. So a kind of goose crackling is made as well as a special goose ham (prosciutto d'oca). The sausage Petto d'oca is produced from the breast meat of the goose. In addition two other kinds of good sausages can be found: Salame d'oca di Mortara and Salame d'oca ecumenico.
Violino di capra della Valchiavenna is a very special ham made from goat meat. It has to be cut in a special way similar to playing a violin, hence the name Violino.
Around Lake Como Slinzega di cervo is produced. It is similar to bresaola but made from deer.
You can also get bresaola made of horsemeat. The small Cacciatorini sausages are also made from horsemeat.
Apart from these exotic specialities a whole range of better-known sausages are produced from pork. Salame Milano is probably known by most people, but Salame Mantovano is also very enjoyable.
Cheese Bagòss di Bagolino is a cheese made from cow's milk, which enjoys a long maturing process. The cheese does not begin to show its true worth until it has matured for nearly 12 months.
Tombea is a cheese produced in the Alps around Lake Garda. The cheese is made from cow's milk and a little saffron is added during production. The cheese is in danger of disappearing because only very few producers still make it in spite of the cheese having won various cheese competitions. Tombea is best when well matured.
Sweets Panetone is probably one of the most popular cakes in Lombardy. But like many other places in Italy, most of the towns will naturally have a selection of delightful homemade ice creams.
Wine and vineyards Lombardy is best known for its excellent sparkling wines, which should not be called champagne. Spumante and now also Brut are the Italian names for the same product, and the Lombards are in fact very good at producing these lovely bubbles.
Some of the best are called Franciacorta, and these can easily measure up to the most outstanding of the French champagnes.
One of the best producers in the region, and possibly the world, is Cá del Bosco. But the standard is very high and there are many other excellent producers.
Otherwise Lombardy is best known for producing white wines on international grape varieties like Chardonnay.
