Speck and spätzle: an introduction to Ladin cuisine

These funnel cakes (also known as Tyrolean pancakes) are poured through a funnel into a pan filled with hot oil to create a spiralled shape. They are like thick, fried crepes, served hot and covered in icing sugar with a spoonful of jam. Traditionally, they were made by the mother of a bride to give to the groom when the wedding was being planned, and were shared out between neighbours and houseguests.

There are lots of Tyrolean cheeses that have been made on the rural farms throughout the region for decades, but one of the most popular is Graukase, a rindless grey cow’s milk cheese. It is very low in fat and made without rennet, served in slices dressed in oil with bread and is PDO-protected.

One of the most famous Austrian desserts is also incredibly popular in South Tyrol. It is a chopped up sweet omelette filled with fruits – usually apples and raisins – and served with jam and sugar.

Essentially a thicker, half-moon-shaped ravioli made with a combination of wheat and rye flour, these filled pastas tend to contain spinach and ricotta, but sometimes spiced potato or onion are included too. They are generally served with butter and grated cheese.

A traditional crispbread from the Tyrolean mountains. Made from rye flour, the thin breads are flavoured with spices such as caraway, fennel and star anise, and are baked quickly so they can be stored for many months without spoiling. They are generally served with pieces of local cheese and bacon.

These flour dumplings are made using a special machine that works in a similar way to a potato ricer, pushing out thick noodles that are dropped directly into boiling water or broth to cook. They are either served in soups or a side dish, and some are flavoured with spinach or sauerkraut.

One of the most famous Ladin products, Tyrolean Speck is PDO-protected and popular throughout Italy. It is a type of smoked prosciutto, made from pork shoulder, leg and belly and flavoured with spices such as juniper. It is then cold-smoked for around three weeks and left to mature for months afterward. Speck is used to add flavour to all sorts of other Ladin dishes.

These round filled pasta contain ingredients such as spinach, ricotta, sauerkraut and potatoes, and are deep fried until they turn crispy. The dough is made from a mixture of rye and wheat flour, and they were traditionally eaten every Saturday on Tyrolean villages.

Pearl barley, beans, a few vegetables, milk and some smoked pork – that’s all that’s needed to make this traditional South Tyrolean soup. It’s a filling, hearty dish that would have staved off the cold weather up in the mountains over the winter, and could be made with simple farmhouse ingredients and whatever fresh produce was available.