In the typical cuisine of the lake there are both rustic mountain-hill dishes and fish dishes.

The mountain and hill dishes are generally poor dishes in which the real protagonist is polenta: from buckwheat taragna polenta, to uncia polenta topped with butter, garlic and cheese or to the well-known polenta Toc of Bellagio, a very rich single dish with homemade cornmeal, butter and cheese.

The fish dishes instead vary a lot. Fish fry with alborelle, agoni, burbot, fillets of perch and white bread to be cooked in breadcrumbs with egg, butter and sage are very popular.

Another typical dish of fish is the carpione fish, fried and then marinated in vinegar, onion, bay leaf, and fish in green sauce, grilled and marinated in a parsley sauce, breadcrumbs with vinegar, capers, anchovies, garlic, egg yolk, olive oil.

Another dish is the missoltini or missultin, the agons fished in May, sun-dried and stored in layers, with bay leaves, under a weight in a closed container, to eat grilled, drizzled with oil and vinegar, with roasted polenta and red wine.

The cheeses are another typical production of Lake Como and surroundings. Among all we can mention the Casoretta produced in Valle d’Intelvi, alpine cheese with cow’s milk and goat cheese used to flavor pasta and polenta, Zincarlin, an aromatic ricotta covered with black pepper, both fresh and

seasoned and the Semuda, a typical lean cheese of the area between Dongo and Gravedona, produced from manually skimmed cow’s milk.

In Valsassina, thanks to the presence of caves and natural cavities used as cellars, they produce an excellent Taleggio Dop and Gorgonzola Dop, along with a great variety of fresh and aged stracchino. Another specialty of the lake are the so-called Furmagitt cheeses, fresh or seasoned, natural or flavored with pepper, oil or herbs, goats or cow’s milk.

Finally, there are desserts, rustic doughs but very tasty and energetic: miascia with stale bread and dried or fresh fruit, pine nuts, raisins, amaretti and bitter chocolate; and the masigott with flour, sugar, raisins, pine nuts, candied orange and cutie, a mixture of flour, water, milk and eggs with a sprinkling of vanilla sugar on top. On the occasion of Easter it is also famous the sweet Resca or Resta, a mixture of eggs, butter, sugar, raisins and candied fruit in which an Easter olive branch is placed.

In the heights of Alto Lario, gin with local herbs and numerous wines is produced. Among the most important are the white Verdesa, the Rosseia, the Merlot and the Sangiovese. Among the niche productions we mention Domasino produced in the municipality of Domaso. Also famous are craft beers and rusmada, an ancient toned drink composed of a cream of egg and wine, prepared at home.

Another very important typical product is honey, of many biological varieties.

Acqua Cheta
Bar, via Statale Regina 3/D, Tremezzo
Ristorante Pizzeria Tremezzino
Ristorante, via Statale Regina 40, Bolvedro Tremezzo: +39 0344 40496
Bar Roma
Bar, pizza Roma 2/A, Tremezzo: +39 0344 40243
Trattoria Santo Stefano
Ristorante, piazza XI febbraio 3, Lenno: +39 0344 55434
Red & White
Bar, via Portici Sampietro 18, Tremezzo: +39 0344 40095
Pizzeria Ristorante Ranch
Pizzeria, via Statale 63, Lenno: +39 0344 55494
Trattoria del Santuario
Ristorante, via Santuario 50, Ossuccio: +39 0344 56311

Hosteria Magnolia
Ristorante, piazza Magnolia 4, Mezzegra: +39 0344 43205
Il Chiosco di Venere
Bar, via Caio Plinio, Lenno: +39 348 726 0244
La cucina della Marianna
Ristorante, Via Regina 57, Griante: +39 0344 43111
Casa Acquadulza
Ristorante, via Giuseppe Mazzini 3, Tremezzo: +39 0344 536721
Locanda La Tirlintana
Ristorante, piazza Matteotti 5, Sala Comacina: +39 0344 56637
Antica Trattoria del Risorgimento
Ristorante, via Sant’Abbondio 8, Mezzegra: +39 0344 41789

To be added to this list, please contact me.