Winter food in Italy is about heat. Not spice, mind you. Rather heat from the stove, from the hearth, the grill. It’s about the warmth of slow-cooked meals that make sense when it’s cold out. In the north of the Bel Paese, this means risotto, slow cooked meats and polenta with melted cheese. The central regions is where Italians eat soups with legumes, pasta and fried foods. Down south, it’s an embrace of seafood, baked pasta and bitter greens. You won’t find flashy plating or rare ingredients. You’ll find food that nourishes and comforts you.
Why winter food in Italy feels different
In summer, Italians eat to stay light and refresh the palate with the abundance of seasonal ingredients. Autumn food is a celebration of the harvest. In winter, we eat to stay warm. This shift touches everything. Meal times stretch. Sauces take longer to stew. Bread becomes thicker. At markets the color palette changes from earth tones to darker, moodier forest hues. The ingredients ask more of you. They need time, fire, and patience. Winter is a season that reveals skill. In the kitchen, and at the table.
Ingredients that belong to winter
You can find these ingredients at other times. But in winter, they matter more. They show up in everything.
- Cabbage and leafy greens – Cooked long and slow, never eaten raw
- Lentils and chickpeas – Turned into soups and stews
- Blood oranges – Juicy, deep red citrus only in winter
- Cardoons and artichokes – Bitter stalks and buds, often braised or baked au gratin
- Roots and tubers – Baked, glazed and puréed
- Salt cod (baccalà) – Soaked, simmered, and stewed with unexpected pops of sweetness
- Heritage grains – Barley, farro, and buckwheat in soups, salads and flatbreads
- Wild fennel – Strong flavor for seasoning sausages or roasting pork
- Hard cheeses – Aged during summer, eaten now with bread, chutneys and jams
A few regional dishes to try in winter
Lombardy
- Pizzoccheri – Buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes, and cheese
- Ossobuco – Braised veal shin with bone marrow
- Zuppa pavese – Broth with bread and egg
Piemonte
- Agnolotti del plin – Tiny meat-stuffed ravioli
- Brasato al Barolo – Juicy and tender beef stewed in the region’s prized wine
- Bagna cauda – The hot garlicky dip of all dips
Trentino-Alto Adige
- Canederli – Bread dumplings with cheese and speck, distant cousins of matzah
- Gulash all’italiana – Hearty beef stew with paprika
- Strangolapreti – Spinach and bread gnocchi
Emilia-Romagna
- Cotechino or zampone con lenticchie – Boiled stuffed pig trotter or sausage with stewed lentils, a New Year tradition
- Passatelli in brodo – Bread crumb and egg pasta served in broth
- Tortellini in brodo – We have this year round, but this is the proper season
Tuscany
- Ribollita – Tuscan kale and bean soup
- Fiorentina – Fire-grilled T-bone steak
- Pici al cinghiale – Thick hand-rolled spaghetti with wild boar sauce
Lazio
- Broccoli e arzilla – Skate fish soup with Romanesco cauliflower and pasta
- Pasta e fagioli – Thick soup with beans and short pasta
- Carbonara – When is not a good time for this?
Abruzzo
- Pallotte cacio e ove – Bread and egg dumplings
- Le Virtù – Rich soup with everything left in the pantry
- Polenta rognosa – Polenta with sausage, pancetta, and tomato
Campania
- Ziti alla genovese – Pasta dressed with a meat and onion ragù
- Pasta e patate – chunky pasta and potato soup
- Cannelloni – Baked pasta tubes stuffed with ragù, cheese and bechamel
Sicily
- Pasta con broccoli arriminati – pasta with pine nuts, cauliflower and raisins
- Bastaddu affucatu – cauliflower braised in wine
- Baccalà alla parmigiana – Salt cod layered with tomato and cheese
Sardinia
- Culurgiones – Potato and cheese ravioli
- Zippulas – Citrus-scented fried dough
- Pane frattau – Wafer-thin local “bread” layered with sauce, pecorino and eggs
Italian winter desserts
- Panettone and pandoro – Make an appearance before Christmas, toasted with butter or mascarpone
- Struffoli – Fried dough balls with honey from Naples
- Cartellate – Rosette-shaped fried dough with vincotto from Puglia
- Mostaccioli – Spiced cookies with chocolate icing from Southern Italy
- Torrone – Hard nougat with honey and nuts, traditional during holidays
- Buccellati – Sicilian fig and nut cookies
What to drink in Italy during the winter
- Vin brulé – Hot mulled wine
- Amaro – Herbal bitter liqueurs served after meals, or mixed in cocktails
- Grappa – Distilled from grape skins, clears your throat and head
- Cioccolata calda – Thick, spoonable hot chocolate
Food experiences worth booking
- Cooking classes focused on winter pasta, soups and stews
- Cheese farm visits outside of Rome
- Olive oil tastings from the late autumn press
- Carnival food tours in Venice
- Parma ham and Culatello excursions in Emilia-Romagna
Why we eat this way
Winter food in Italy is not designed to impress you. It’s there to feed you, nourish your heart as much as your belly. Eating meals slowly, sitting close to the hearth, as you pour one more glass of wine. That’s what Italian winter food is for. Definitely worth traveling for.
