Tajarin

[Alberts]

We'll be in Piemonte in the springtime, likely staying at a place that specializes in Tajarin cuisine. I thought I knew something about piemontese food, but hadn't heard about this? What exactly is it? Anyone know.

[Peter Rodgers]

Sounds like the reference is to the Piemontese version of tagliatelle -- the fresh kind.

[Pongi]

Actually Tajarin are the Piemontese version of fresh tagliatelle. They differ from the ordinary Tagliatelle because they're much thinner than usual; as for the dough recipe, there are no significant differences.

Although they can go with many sauces (for example meat or entrails sauce) ther best way to enjoy Tajarin is eating them plain, with fresh butter and a generous sprinkle of white truffles

Also serving them on a layer of Fonduta valdostana is a very good option.

Pongi

[Bill Klapp]

Peter is right-it is the Piemontese dialect term for ultra-thin, ultra-rich fresh pasta. The best makes dried angel-hair pasta seem bulky by comparison, and is made with up to 40 egg yolks per kilo of flour. Since local egg yolks are reddish-orange (the chickens eat well!), the tajarin is a school-bus yellow color. It is so tender that it virtually melts in your mouth, and it is so rich and delicious in its own right that it is always very lighty sauced.

[eljo]

You might be interested in Jeffery Steingarten's mouth-watering chapter in "The Man Who Ate Everything" on his week in a Piemontese kitched during truffle season, including a detailed recipe and instructions for making Tajarin, which I just read last night. Yum.

[Alberts]

Magnifico! Sounds outstanding. We will likely be staying at or near an albergo/ristorante called Del Buon Padre, near Barolo. We can't wait.