The taste of Biella

Paletta Biellese, Riso di Baraggia, butter Torcetti, wines and craft beers are only some of the typical local products.
For a tasty reminder of your visit to the area , Mosca1916 is a must-see.

Traditional local products

What do we suggest? What to take home?

A Food Hall with fourteen shop windows facing the well-know via San Filippo 16, in Biella.

MAPPA DA INSERIRE

Drinks

In Biella’s area when you think of a drink you have three main options : beer, wine and the liquor Ratafià d’Andorno.

BEER

At the base of the industrial success in Biella, there is the high quality of water. Renowned for its purity and lightness it is used to make Menabrea Beer and our recipe The1916 made by the brewery Beer In in Trivero. This beer with delicate flavour and low fermentation is light and unpasteurized. The refermentation proceeds in the bottle and gives the beer the typical taste.
Aroma: herbaceous notes and cereals aromatized.
This beer pairs with meat and local deli-meat.
It is sold in our shop Mosca1916 in bottles of 750 ml.

WINE

There are two important viticultures : the first one is by Viverone lake and the second in Biella’s East area ( from the town of Cossato to Gattinara) The Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG is a still, white wine that pairs with happy hours and fish courses. Biella’s east area instead is renowned for its red wines ( Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Croatina viticultures) especially Lessona, Bramaterra and the highly appreciated red and rosé wine Coste della Sesia ( sold in our shop Mosca1916).

RATAFIÀ

It is a sweet taste liquor with low alcohol content produced in the historical mill in Andorno Micca through the traditional infusion method. The main one is made with black cherries but you can find it also in other different flavours: juniper, walnut, apricot and the new one, lemon. You can pour it on ice-cream or fruit salad to amaze your family and friends.

Good food

We have selected for you the traditional food in the area of Biella.

LA PALETTA BIELLESE

This is the typical local deli-meat; it is named after the flat bone in the pig’s shoulder. It is savory and fragrant and an original happy hour served with beer and breadsticks, you can warm it or you can have it with the typical mostarda which is obtained from the slow cooking of apple juice, which becomes thick and creamy, like a treacle.

DELI MEAT IN BIELLA’S AREA

We can mention the lard ( pork fat) with local herbs, the traditional row salami and the one preserved in fat called “ Salam d’la Duja”. In our shop Mosca1916 in via San Filippo, 16 in Biella you can also find the “Mucroncina”, our bresaola, dried beed meat and the mocetta naturally aged.

RICE AND POLENTA

Baraggia is a protected nature reserve in Piedmont which includes the municipalities of Biella, Novara and Vercelli. It is a clayey plateau shielded by mountains where the terrain and the microclimate foster the growth of “The Rice of Baraggia Biellese Dop” suitable to prepare the Italian creamy dish risotto and the soup with rice, milk and chestnuts.

Polenta ( cornmeal mush) is a stone-milled wholegrain excellent to prepare stew and mushrooms and by adding cheese and melted butter is called “ Polenta concia di Oropa” which is another typical food. ( Oropa is a village 14 km far from Biella).

THE HOME PANTRY – APPETIZER AND SAUCE

In Piedmont is tradition to save and cook the summer vegetables to prepare  mixed pickled called Giardiniera in red. Carrots, cauliflowers, onions, green beans and peppers are put in a jar with tomato sauce to have a tasty and savoury starter.

In our shop you can find the Ragù of Pezzata Rossa d’Oropa (traditional Italian meat sauce), a local and appreciated cattle breed well-known for its milk and meat.

Our ragù is prepared with minced meat, slowly cooked and put in a jar to preserve all its aroma.

SWEETS, BISCUITS AND HONEY

Canestrelli Biellesi and Torcetti are our traditional biscuits. Canestrelli are made of one thin layer of dark chocolate between two crunchy homemade wafers.

Torcetti biscuits are sweet butter rings sprinkled with white and granulated sugar. 

Honey: in the unpolluted valleys near Biella the bees can find a wide variety of flowers to produce wholesome and genuine honey : chestnut, acacia and multi-flower honey. They all have Organic Certification.