Originating in the 16th century, this age-old Italian dish is made with garlic – lots of it – and anchovies, and runs along the lines of fondue, with people using raw and cooked vegetables to dip into the mixture.
This Piedmontese dish is marked in style in the largest celebration of its kind.
Every year, Bagna Cauda Day takes place at the end of November in its home town of Asti, where it was invented by Leonardo Tessiore.
This year’s event will take place from November 22 to 24.
The event attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world in a collective eating session that brings together different cultures and countries from Germany to as far as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Tonga.
In Asti, the heart of the festival, the city centre comes alive with side events.
On Saturday and Sunday, the colonnade in Piazza San Secondo hosts the Bagna Cauda Market, where visitors can taste and buy seasonal produce, extra virgin olive oil, hazelnut oil and arts and crafts.
One of the most popular events of previous editions, the flash mob “Barbera Kiss”, takes place at midnight on Friday and Saturday night: after dinner, bagna cauda lovers pucker up for a garlic kiss in Piazza San Secondo, Piazza Medici, or in all participating venues.
Other activities include: corn harvesting and flour production demonstrations, workshops for children and the Marcia Cauda, an eight-kilometre friendly run which takes place on Sunday morning.
There really is something for everyone at this event, which is full of flavour and energy!
For those wanting to have their own festivities, here’s a recipe for bagna cauda.
