The traditional cuisine on the Verona side of Lake Garda is based on simple and genuine local products originating from the lake and the surrounding mountains and hills: fresh water fish, wines and extra virgin olive oil, various cheeses, truffles, mushrooms, chestnuts, asparagus, kiwi and honey. The numerous local hotels, restaurants and inns often serve typical Garda specialities in addition to the regional and national dishes tourists would normally expect. The fish specialities include pike with sauce, pilchards in “saor”, risotto with tench, bigoli with bleak, perch fillets in a butter or white wine sauce, grilled trout, sardines and lake whitefish. Other traditional dishes are risotto with asparagus, risotto with red chicory, pappardelle with venison, potato gnocchi, the tasteful tortellini of Valeggio, boiled meats with “pearà” and hare stewed in a rich sauce called “salmì”. One of the local cheeses is the flavourful Monte Veronese, while typical desserts include the “sanvigilini”, shortcakes and various fruit tarts. Prestigious wines, such as Bardolino and the Lugana and Custoza whites, accompany each course. The Valdadige wines are also highly appreciated. The fundamental ingredient in the typical dressings and seasonings of the local cuisine is the delicious delicate extra virgin olive oil from the Lake Garda Olive Grove Riviera. Throughout the Garda and Mount Baldo tourist area, gourmets can discover the local gastronomic and enological traditions by following an ideal gastronomic itinerary that is sure to please the most refined palates.

Lake Garda fish
The main feature of the local cuisine is the fish from Lake Garda: carpione (which lives only in the waters of Lake Garda), whitefish, trout, sardine, pike, chub, tench, bleak and perch. With the exception of the highly prized carpione, which is becoming increasingly rare, all the other varieties still abound in the lake and are commonly served in the local restaurants.

Garda wines
The hills surrounding the lake are covered with vineyards whose grapes yield renowned wines that will complement any dish. The most widely known is ruby red Bardolino, which is also available in the Chiaretto and Novello versions. The Lugana and Custoza white wines are also highly appreciated. Wine production is so important that road signs indicate the “wine routes”: Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana and Valdadige. These routes wind their way through vineyards, leading to wine vaults and shops run by the local producers, where visitors can sample the different types of wine.

Garda extra virgin olive oil
The extensive olive groves on the Lake Garda Olive Grove Riviera yield one of Italy’s most exquisite and appreciated varieties of extra virgin olive oil. It is renowned for its genuineness and digestibility, as well as for its highly refined and rich flavour. Any dish of the typical gardesana cuisine will be enhanced by the refined delicate flavour of the Garda extra virgin olive oil.

Other typical products
Other typical products of Mount Baldo and the hills surrounding the lake include the chestnuts from San Zeno di Montagna, the wild forest mushrooms, the truffles whose intense and pleasing flavour will enhance any rice or pasta dish, and certain varieties of honey known for their healthful properties. In the Affi countryside kiwi is widely cultivated. This exquisite exotic fruit has adapted well to the climatic conditions of the area. Asparagus shoots constitute the typical spring crop of Cavaion and Rivoli, in the immediate Garda hinterland. They make a wonderful flavouring for risotto, or can be boiled and dressed simply with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and served with boiled eggs.

Typical and traditional product marks
DOP – Protected designation of origin
IGP – Protected geographical indication
STG – Traditional speciality guaranteed
IGT wines – Typical geographical indication
DOC wines – Denomination of controlled origin
DOCG wines – Denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin