Bollito misto alla piemontese
Bollito misto alla piemontese is a classic specialty of Piedmontese cuisine: various cuts of beef boiled together, accompanied by lesser cuts, the «ammennicoli», and by sauces, the bagnetti.[1]
The cuts
The recipe dates back to when the forequarters and hindquarters of the animal had the same value; once the hindquarter became much more expensive, the dish came to rely mainly on forequarter cuts.[1] Tradition speaks of seven cuts, but the lists vary: the Confraternita del Bollito distinguishes a «historic» selection — scaramella, punta di petto, fiocco di punta, cappello da prete, noce, tenerone and culatta — and a current one, with reale, brut e bun, fesone and geretto; in Carrù the seven cuts come exclusively from Piedmontese-breed cattle raised on nearby farms.[1][2]
The ammennicoli are hen, calf's head, trotter, tongue, pork loin, tail and cotechino sausage; the bagnetti are green sauce, red tomato-and-anchovy sauce, mustard sauce, grape mostarda, bee sauce and horseradish (cren).[1]
The Fat Ox fairs
Bollito is the dish of the Fiera del Bue Grasso in Carrù, in the Cuneo area, where livestock markets have been held since 1473: the first fair took place on 15 December 1910, and today it falls on the second Thursday before Christmas, when restaurants serve bollito and tripe from early morning.[3] The Region recognized it as a regional fair in 1995 and a national one in 2008; on 11 December 2025 the 115th edition was held, with the Pro Loco's «non-stop bollito».[3][4] In Moncalvo, in the Asti area, the national Fiera del Bue Grasso dates back to the 17th century and in December 2025 celebrated its 387th edition with two official bollito lunches.[5]
In Turin
On 20 October 2024 the Butchers' Association of Moncalieri cooked 1,500 kilograms of meat for «Sua Maestà il Bollito» («His Majesty the Bollito»), in the city's former Foro Boario cattle market.[6] In Turin, bollito is the most requested dish in historic trattorias such as San Giors in Borgo Dora, near Porta Palazzo, which serves it in nine cuts with seven sauces.[7]
Sources
- Confraternita del Bollito e della Pera Madernassa
- Cuneo Alps
- Comune di Carrù
- Targatocn.it — 10 December 2025
- La Voce di Asti — 7 November 2025
- Torino Oggi — 18 October 2024
- Torino Oggi — 19 June 2025