Food tasting in Padua

Fueled by a wide variety of seasonal products, Paduan cuisine combines the highest quality ingredients to tradition, enhanced by the professionalism of the chefs who know how to preserve the traditional flavors, revisited according to the most modern culinary sensibility.
The generosity of this fertile land is found in the wealth of products that make up the typical local dishes. Rice is one of the main ingredients and comes in many variations and with a lot of imagination in the combinations: with peas (rice and peas), with the radicchio, with asparagus or "bruscandoli".
Among the main courses are famous pasta and beans, the variety of soups and "bigoli", a sort of thick spaghetti, obtained from the processing of the dough with the bigolaro. Different versions of bigoli are flavored with squid ink or mixed with wheat flour.
In the area of the Euganean Hills are the traditional soups and delicious risotto made ​​with wild herbs and sprouts and snails that may be proposed in moist, roasted or fried .
Typical of the area is also the "musso in tecia", frogs and fried or steamed shrimp cakes. But the strength of the local cuisine is definitely the "Paduan Court" where reigns the famous Paduan hen, bred since ancient times and born from the crossing of different breeds. Goose, chicken, capon, pheasant, duck and turkey round off the court. One of the delicacies prepared with meat from these birds is the most rich and tasty Paduan "bollito", flavored with sauces or mustard.
In the embattled cities of Este and Montagnana is widespread breeding pigs from which you will get tasty cold cuts and sausages, like Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo, better known as the sweet ham of Montagnana and the "soppressa".
Of course, you could not miss the queen of Venetian cuisine: polenta. Famous is that "fasoà" made ​​with pork lard.
Among the typical cakes are the "pazientina", based on zabaglione cream; the "fregolotta", best known as "sbrisolona"; the Paduan "fugassa", one of the oldest sweets and "figassa", made ​​from dried figs macerated in grappa.
The veneration for St. Anthony is also found in the typical pastry, with a variety of cakes dedicated to him: the amarettoni, the laces, the bread, and the dessert of the Saint.

All these delicacies should be accompanied by fine wines generously backed by the consortia Euganean Hills DOC, Merlara DOC,  Bagnoli DOC and Benedictine Courts DOC. Also excellent are spirits and liqueurs often flavored with herbs and fruits of the land.
Finally, anyone who steps to Padua can not miss the famous Spritz, an aperitif made with dry white wine and sparkling water and a good dose of alcohol.