A guide to top Italian PDO and PGI Products #TrueItalianTaste
This post is sponsored by True Italian Taste and the Italian Chamber of Commerce
There is no disputing the fact that high quality ingredients create delicious dishes.
Cooking with Italian PDO and PGI products
At a recent cooking lesson at the newly opened Eataly London, we cooked a couple of dishes using some very special Italian ingredients. All these ingredients are certified either DOP or IGP in English (or PDO and PGI in Italian).
- Mantua melon
- olive oil
- Gamberro Rossa red prawns
- Gragnano pasta
- datterino tomatoes (Cosi Come brand, available online)
- Parma ham
- Parmigiano reggiano
- Culatello
Recipe for Chilled Mantua Melon Soup
Recipe for Paccheri pasta with tomato sauce and homemade stracciatella
Almost every element of each dish used a special ingredient with clear geographical or origins stated.
Why this is important is that the producers are recognised for meeting the stringent requirements when producing these ingredients according to the regulations. All these products meets the quality standards set by the EU. You know when you buy these items that you are getting the real thing and it is going to be delicious.
Don’t be a victom of food fraud. If you regularly buy Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma (Parma Ham) and olive oil, look out for these symbols on the packaging. This will ensure that you are buying the real thing. Try a taste test next time and you will see how the difference in taste and quality compares.
Here are some more common Italian products including wines which are covered by the PDO and PGP marks.
- Balsamic vinegar of Modena PGI
- Asiago PDO
- Asti PDO
- Barbaresco PDO
- Bardolino Superiore PDO
- Barolo PDO
- Brachetto d’Acqui PDO
- Bresaola della Valtellina PGI
- Brunello di Montalcino PDO
- Chianti PDO
- Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco PDO
- Dolcetto d’Alba PDO
- Franciacorta PDO
- Gorgonzola PDO
- Grana Padano PDO
- Grappa IG
- Montepulciano d’Abruzzo PDO
- Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
- Pecorino Romano PDO
- Prosciutto di Parma PDO
- Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO
- Soave PDO
- Taleggio PDO
- Toscano PGI
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano PDO
FAQ
What does Italian DOP and IGP mean?
DOP and IGP are the Italian version of PDO ( Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication).
You can get a full list of these products on Wikipedia.
Why is it important to buy the real PDO and PGI products?
Italy has over 300 agri-food products and 500 wines recognised as Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical indication by the European Union.
Where can you buy Italian PDO and PGI products?
You can buy from small local Italian delis who source all their products from small producers or you can buy online from Natoora or Amazon.