Le Marche gastronomy: See the Le Marche region.

Olive all’ascolana: Plump green olives in brine stuffed with cheese and tender meat (ham) among other things and deep-fried. Named after the town of Ascoli.

Cheeses: Caciotta Montefeltro is a soft cheese made from pasteurized sheep and cows’ milk). Aged versions mature in the tufa ditches in the Montefeltro zone. Urbino also has its own caciotta or ‘casciotta’ in local parlance.

Cured meats: Salami from Fabriano. Carpegna prosciutto. Porchetta, plus duck and rabbit prepared like porchetta, with the main flavourings being garlic and and fennel.

Pasta | Maccheroncini di Campofilone. Vincisgrassi is a type of lasagne which originated in Macerata, apparently a chef’s attempt to honour an Austrian prince called Windischgratz, who was a general in the forces occupying Le Marche in the early 19th-century. Ingredients include butter, cream, prosciutto, and black truffles.

Truffle: Le Marche is an important region for white truffles eg from the Acqualagna valley.

Bibliography

Burton Anderson, Vino – The Wines and Winemakers of Italy (London, 1982), p.322.