Turin / Contesto Alimentare: crossroad trattoria
There are few places with such a strong culinary identity as Piedmont.
An entire region that seems to be moving at the same pace, strong of the traditional imprinting and the excellence of its ingredients.
Restaurant menus become the well-aware consequence of this and their proposal does not run away from agnolotti, tagliolini and vitello tonnato.
And that’s totally fine because Piedmont IS a beef stew trapped in a pasta dough with few pinches; it IS dozens of egg yolks beaten, swallowed by few grams of flour and cut in narrow stripes; it IS pink veal, tuna and capers.
There are some places though that decided to use another ingredient of the Piedmontese tradition: contamination.
In the same way anchovies made their way into a region with no access to the sea, urban trattorias bring to the table tradition and urban influences, either in the shape of inevitable acknowledge of the multi-regional and multi-ethnic society we live in or personal experiences: travels, lovers, life.
In Contesto Alimentare, a cubic ‘white’ restaurant sitting in the front space of an older shop, cous cous, codfish and cardamom have the same citizenship right as tajarin, Carmagnola grey rabbit and Capriglio peppers.
And watch out: this is not following trends or confusion. This is a conscious decision: a spice to freshen the flavour, an ingredient to balance the texture, a smell to enrich the dish.
It’s a contamination that requires passion, not bravery. Competence, not magic.
The service is carried along like in a restaurant: with elegance and courtesy without being overwhelming.
The prices, like in a trattoria: approachable and fair.
An alternative culinary proposal that should not be missed to live a contemporary Piedmont.
Our favourites:
Turin - Dakar: ravioli filled with veal ‘spezzatino’, veggies, chilli and hazelnut cream. Mild but punchy, elegant but pop.
In coda in tangenziale: stewed beef tail (incredible lightness despite a ‘traditional’ oven cooking), cardamom, cabbage. Not the best looking due to the chromatic consistency but one of the most rounded dishes.
