Recipes and regional dishes from Lake Garda

Lake Garda is known for its fantastic cuisine with traditional dishes made with fresh local produce. You can also successfully prepare these delicious meals at home. All you need is the right local produce, the recipe, and a good cook ready to share their secrets.

In the restaurants, osterias, inns and bars of Lake Garda, you will have the opportunity to sample traditional products such as pasta, fish from the lake and local fruits and vegetables, creatively transformed by the chefs into exquisite dishes.

Depending on the time of year you spend your holiday at Lake Garda, different dishes based on seasonal products will surprise your palate. In autumn chestnuts, which thrive in the forests around Lake Garda, are used in the local kitchens. They are roasted and enjoyed in various delicious dishes or desserts. Autumn is a colourful season at Lake Garda, and the plentiful mushrooms are often served in risotto or on tagliatelle.

In winter, you can eat gingerbread and drink a spicy mulled wine. Spring, on the other hand, brings light ingredients such as asparagus and stinging nettles to your plates. In summer, there are mainly delicious fish dishes, light salads and fresh zucchini from the garden.

The ideal end to a good meal is a selection of fresh and aged cheeses from the region, served with fruity jam or sweet honey.

The chefs at Lake Garda give their dishes that extra something with a dash of olive oil. It is essential that the oil used is local and of the highest quality to emphasise the flavours of the ingredients used.

The delicious dishes such as tagliatelle with ragù, stinging nettle risotto and tortellini are accompanied by the excellent wines of the region, which harmonise perfectly with each other.

You’ll definitely fall in love with the cuisine of Lake Garda, with its superb distinctive flavours and its propensity towards fresh local ingredients. It always makes you want to return!

Updated: 12/03/2024