“We might call it ‘mountain cuisine,’ ” explains Alessandro Gilmozzi, a celebrated chef from northern Italy’s Val di Fiemme. Italian Alpine food, he says, is defined by the challenges and gifts of high-elevation life—a dynamic he knows well, since he and his family have been cooks in the Dolomites for generations.
Their mountain cuisine is built on elemental processes, like fire and fermentation, and makes use of wild herbs, freshwater fish, game meats, and cheeses crafted in the malghe, the seasonal dairy farms that speckle the hillsides. It’s also shaped by the Ladin, the region’s minority ethnic group, who speak a language separate from Italian, and by the traditions of nearby Austria.
