Marche

The landscape of the Marche region enthrals like a poem by Giacomo Leopardi: sweet but with peaks impossible to reach. Swells of gentle hills chase one another between the blue of the Adriatic Sea and the rocky summits of the Sibillini Mountains. And this is the cradle of land and sea gastronomy, where simple, genuine and full-flavoured ingredients prevail.

Land
The Adriatic coast of Marche is a long and golden ribbon of sand, interrupted by Conero, a charming natural oasis made of white cliffs, pristine beaches and enchanting hamlets. The regional capital, Ancona sits at the tip, in a narrow inlet,
Enclosed by the wooded Apennines that separate it from Tuscany, this region features a hilly landscape with ancient farming tradition, dotted with walled towns and cities, among which Urbino, the ancient capital, distinguished for its beauty, art and history.
The characteristic land of Montefeltro is located at the border with Romagna: with its abrupt summits among the hills on top of which small towns, rocks and castles are perched, it features a scene that seems to have remained unchanged for centuries.
The region was born from the many historical, cultural and political differences that have forged its personality from ancient times. Marche has maintained its plurality of views both in landscapes and in gastronomic traditions.

Gastronomic Tradition
The Ascolana olives are the typical regional starter: the big and tasty olives of the area of Ascoli Piceno are stuffed with a delicious mix of various meats, deli meats, cheeses and eggs, then breaded and fried.
Neighbouring regional influences are found in first courses that echo the ones of nearby Romagna in the preference for egg pasta and baked dishes prepared with various sauces. Vincisgrassi and Lasagne incassettate are traditional recipes.
Typical dishes are the Minestra di lumachelle from Ancona (similar to the Passatelli from Romagna, egg based with cheese and breadcrumbs) and the Minestra di trippa, a soup flavoured with hand-chopped lard with aromatic herbs.
And what about the sea, where do we find it? In the Sardines Marchigiana-style, the Stuffed squids and the many Fish stews, prepared with an uncountable variety of fish and versions that include the addition of ingredients such as vinegar, flour, garlic and saffron. And there are excellent seafood dishes, prepared either with sauces with or without tomato, and the addition of deli meats stuffing, such as in porchetta, in potacchio, alla marinara or baked au gratin.
Meat recipes are also appreciated, from Piccioni all’agnello, cooked with the Pilotto (a paper wrap with a piece of lard inside that is flamed and then drained on to the meat during cooking), to the beloved Porchetta, cooked deboned and stuffed with aromatic herbs, or Braciola all’urbinate, a kind of beef roulade stuffed with an omelette and a slice of ham, or Suckling veal with Chianti, a recipe from Macerata.
Pastry has simple origins, both in the ingredients and the preparations, and reminiscence of old days: Cicerchiata, a dessert made with balls of leavened dough sprinkled in Sulla honey; Becciate, small corn bread balls with raisins and pine nuts; Migliaccio, made with pork blood, sugar and citrus zest, Frustega, a simple short bread flavoured with cooked grape must, Caciuni, large sweet raviolis filled with sheep cheese.

Products
Cheeses and deli meats are staples of the typical Marche cuisine.
Among the best dairy products there are: Casciotta d’Urbino, a mix of sheep’s and cow’s milk with a characteristic savoury taste, Raviggiolo and Slattato del Montefeltro, Pecorino of the Sibillini Mountains and various other herbs flavoured sheep cheeses. Formaggio di fossa, i.e. cheese of the pit, called this way because it is buried in a pit during maturation. Especially famous is the one from Talamello in the Marecchia Valley.
Some of the deli meats that stand out are Carpegna Ham, with delicate taste, sometimes juniper flavoured, and also Soppresse, sausages, salami, coppa, loins and Ciauscolo, a special filled in casing flavoured with garlic, thyme and anise that resembles paté in the texture, to be enjoyed as spread on a slice of bread. The origin of its name is uncertain: the most reliable one is that it comes from the term Ciauscolo, from Latin cibusculum, i.e. “small food”, a sort of snack, just as we consider this interesting product to this day.
Fruits and vegetable production is a plenty with excellent apricots, pears, peaches, pink apples, visciole cherry and sour cherry; then cauliflowers, broccoli, artichokes, fennels, escarole, hunchback cardoons, broad beans, grass peas, beans and potatoes.
The regional cellars offer a famous white wine for fish dishes, Verdicchio, which comes from the hills around Jesi. From anise is produced an aromatic liqueur typical of the Marche: Anisetta.

Historical curiosities
The great composer Gioacchino Rossini, born in the Marche, was an ante litteram gourmet. A friend of chefs and food producers, we owe to him some famous recipes, like the Fillet Rossini and the Guglielmo Tell cake. His curious appetite for good food certainly was no mystery. Indeed, he wrote: “I know of no more admirable occupation than eating that is really eating. Appetite is for the stomach what love is for the heart. The stomach is the conductor, who rules the grand orchestra of our passions”.

Some typical recipes
Here are some interesting main courses from Marche. What do you think about giving them a try?

Fave alle acciughe
Simple ingredients for a recipe super easy to make and full of flavour.

Tagliatelline con calamari e scampetti
Scampi and squid make for a rich and refined first course.

Zuppa di pesce con olive tenere ascolane
The secret of this dish? It’s the variety of fish and crustaceans used, and naturally very very fresh.

Funghetti di Offida
Typical sweets with the taste of … anise.