Central Italian Cooking

The traditional diet in The Marches was almost exclusively vegetarian for the vast majority of the population living inland, and though fish did play a part in the coastal cities, the pickings were still primarily vegetarian: Polenta made from corn, seasoned with oil, cheese, lard, onions, ricotta, tomatoes, greens, legumes, etc.; bread made from a mixture of cornmeal and flour, wine only in the periods of greatest exertion, and salt pork only occasionally. Cuts of veal, lamb or chicken only appeared at holiday meals and wedding banquets, with the portions being so lavish that every guest could take something home. Though there is more prosperity now, the traditions shine through.

There's still lots of polenta, wild herbs, especially wild fennel in the mountains, mushrooms, including truffles (which the farmers used to sell for cash), snails, which were especially popular on meatless days inland where the only fish available was baccalà, and greens. Greens everywhere. Meats do appear more frequently now than they used to, but certainly don't predominate. And fish does of course does play an important role in the diet in the coastal areas, though many of the recipes include ingredients that reveal close ties to the land, for example wild fennel fronds.

Recipes from Le Marche