What to eat in the Ledro Valley
People come to the Ledro Valley to practise sports, including trekking and biking, sailing and swimming in our beautiful lake. But they also come to learn something more, visiting places like the Palafitte Museum and World War I relics. Many also choose the Ledro Valley to relax with their family, knowing that when you’re surrounded by lakes, woods, peaks and mountain huts, relaxing just has a different feel.
However, there is something else: staying in our villages can be an opportunity to sample our rich gastronomic offer. The cuisine of the Ledro Valley has some similarities with traditional Trentino specialties, however there are also unique local products and dishes, often difficult to find elsewhere. So let's see what to eat in the Ledro Valley!
Traditional Ledro Valley products
When you visit a place it's nice to eat local, not only to try new recipes, but also to learn about ingredients. There is certainly no shortage of producers of delicacies here in the Ledro Valley! Here are some of the traditional products to taste during a holiday in our apartments in Ledro:
Mountain cheeses
The hills of the Ledro Valley house mountain huts and mountain pastures, where local farmers bring their cows and goats in the summer. The herdsmen are known to prepare excellent mountain cheeses: for example, this is the case of Malga Bezzecca, in Tremalzo.
Red fruits and jams
It's no surprise that berries grow really well here, especially strawberries and raspberries. Several farms do not just grow these delicious fruits, but also process some of them to also produce jams or syrups. Absolutely worth trying!
Bitters, grappas and liqueurs
The same berries from the Ledro Valley are also used by the Foletto laboratory to produce its famous Pico Rosso liqueur, flavoured with raspberries and wild strawberries. The same historic laboratory offers other “territorial” grappas and bitters, from Amaro Ledro to Arancello, produced with oranges from Lake Garda.
Craft beer
The Ledro Valley is also home to the Leder Craft Brewery, focusing in particular on low-fermentation beers, drawing inspiration specifically from the Bohemian tradition. But what does the Czech Republic have to do with the Ledro Valley? We'll reveal it soon, looking at the traditional dishes from our valley!
What to eat in the Ledro Valley: traditional dishes
Besides the presence of high quality ingredients, what makes the Ledro Valley cuisine unique is the blend of Trentino culinary tradition with Bohemian specialties. That is because during the Great War, the inhabitants of the valley were evacuated to Bohemia and Moravia, and many women learned local recipes on that occasion. Here's what to eat in the Ledro Valley:
Bohemian dumplings
Bohemian dumplings are made with poor ingredients, with a similar dough to that used for bread dumplings. They can be eaten in the sweet version, with plum jam, or savoury, with sauerkraut and stew.
Potato polenta
The most traditional dish of the Ledro Valley, one of the tastiest specialties of the restaurants in our valley: for a full meal, have it with cheese and Lucanica!
Caponec
Prepared especially towards the end of summer, this Ledro specialty comes in small portions wrapped in vine leaves. Inside you’ll find tasty morsels of bread, cheese, eggs, lard and herbs.
These are just some of the recipes to try in the Ledro Valley: then there are also canederli, strangolapreti, and obviously mountain dishes, polenta served alongside game, mushrooms and mountain cheeses.
