Top of the World
Casoncelli alla bergamasca almost always appear among the offerings of restaurants in the city and province of Bergamo, as well as, of course, on the table at home. The dialect name "casonsei" refers to the shape of stuffed calzones, but in this case in a reduced format, which are part of the culinary tradition of many Italian regions. This dish is often considered as the flagship of the food tradition referring to Bergamo's first courses: a gastronomic appointment not to be missed whenever you find yourself visiting our charming territory. It is a first course made of stuffed ravioli with a characteristic half-moon shape. It is served with melted butter, sage and bacon. All sprinkled with plenty of Parmesan cheese.
Prepared with fresh pasta and a meat filling, casoncelli is undoubtedly Bergamo's best-known and most popular traditional dish, besides polenta. It is an extremely poor and easy-to-prepare dish, created to use leftover pork and beef. Then, with the passage of time, the product was refined, and in the 1800s casoncelli gained the honors of the table, both for the quality of the pastry and for that of the filling, which was enriched with respect to the traditional recipe by the addition of macaroons, raisins, pear and lemon peel. In more recent versions the filling is enriched with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and also with potatoes and herbs. Perfect pairing, to stay with local wines, with a red Valcalepio.
