Enogastronomy

Living and staying in Marche region means enjoying the many delicacies that are part of the enogastronomy heritage of the region. The Marche region, in fact, represents a unique world and  can be considered as the combination of the best Italian specialties collected in one area, a sort of “Italy in one region”.

The heterogeneity of the land corresponds to the variety of the many typical products one can meet from the hinterland to the Adriatic Sea. Cheeses, cold meats, vegetables, fruits, organic products of many kinds, such as the famous cheeses of Vittorio Beltrami of Cartoceto (PU), the Fabriano salami, the pork neck salami, the “mazzafegato”, the “fegatelli” (pieces of pig's liver), the “matta” sausage, the loin, the “lonzino”, the “capocollo”, the rolled bacon, the roast pork, the spelt of Monterosso, The angelic pear of Serrungarina, the peach of  Montelabbate, more than 30 different types of honey, the quality of which is guaranteed by the PDO and PGI marks such as for the ham of Carpegna, the ciauscolo salami, the casciotta of Urbino (cheese), the Fossa cheese of Sogliano, and the olives of Ascoli Piceno.

The Marche region is one of the few Italian regions that can boast an excellent production of the major types of truffle. This exceptional product, especially the rare white truffle, is the protagonist of national fairs which took place in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, Sant'Angelo in Vado and Acqualagna, the latter, along with Alba, is recognized by the law as a truffle harvesting and sales centre in Italy.

On the mountains, the harvesting of mushrooms is very common. The Slow Food Presidia of the Marche region are six: Fabriano salami, Pecorino of Mount Sibillini, Wild Mosciolo of Portonovo, Cicerchia of Serra de’ Conti, Lonzino with fig, and the pink apple of Sibillini Mountains.

An incredible variety of dishes is inspired by these and other products, such dishes are prepared as the ancient culinary traditions and combined with wines of excellent quality. The DOC (registered designation of origin) wines are 15 (Bianchello del Metauro, Colli Maceratesi, Sangiovese dei Colli Pesaresi, Esino, Falerio, I Terreni di San Severino, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, Terre di Offida, Pergola, Rosso Conero, Serrapetrona, Rosso Piceno, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi e Verdicchio di Matelica) and there are also 5 DOCG (registered and certified designation of origin) wines (Conero, Offida, Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva,  Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva).

Another outstanding product is represented by the “artisan” beer from the Apecchio area, known internationally.

Among liquors and distilled  products from the Marche region, the most known are: the Mistra and the Anisetta, the Moretta Fanese, the cooked wine, the Sapa, the vin santo, and  the Visner or sour black cherry wine.

The Pasta holds an important place in the cuisine of the Marche region; the maccheroncini of Campofilone are a specialty now appreciated all over the world, along with the famous bread of Chiaserna.

And the sweets of the Marche region remind of ancient anniversaries and holidays. They are characterized by the use of raw ingredients and the simplicity of preparation: the castagnole of Carnival, the cookies with grape juice, the salami with figs, the almond or walnut toffee, the cicerchiata, the calcioni or the piconi, the frappe.

By covering the routes of taste within the boundaries of the Marche region, one can discover the “wine” roads (the road of Rosso Conero, Verdicchio of Matelica, Rosso Piceno); the “honey” towns such as Belforte all'Isauro, and the “olive oil” towns such as Cartoceto. It is also possible to enjoy tasty dishes based on meat: the PGI cattle breed of the Marche region is much appreciated for it is bred following a centuries-old tradition especially in the Montefeltro and hilly areas of the Marche region.

All the way to the sea, where one can taste creative dishes based on “pesce azzurro” (oily fish), crustaceans and shellfish. The sea in the province of Pesaro and Urbino is particularly rich and fishy, with a variety of fish and delicacy unique in Italy, such as scorpion fish, angler fish, John Dory fish, turbots, rays, spiny dogfish, smooth dogfish, spotted dogfish, codfish, red mullets, breams, sea breams, gudgeons, sea bass, ombrines, corvina fish, soles, dentex, gilthead breams, white sea breams, amberjacks, brill fish, tunas, sardines, big-scale sand smelts, grey mullets, anchovies, mackerels, chub mackerels, boobs boobs fish, Atlantic horse mackerels, mullets, whiting fish, poor cods, tub gurnards, rock gobies, Mediterranean scaldfish, cuttlefish, squids, octopus, musky octopus, common squids, mantis shrimps, scampi, prawns, tiger prawns, lobsters, crabs, spider crabs, sea snails, autochthonous molluscs, tellinas, razor shells, scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels.

Over the course of the year many food & wine events enliven the towns in the Marche region. The most famous regional dish is a fish soup to which the city of Fano dedicates an entire Festival every year. There are several festivals and fairs related to the celebration of typical products of the region, as well as the routes across the region, where it is possible to experience flavours, tradition and culture.