The once-obscure Northern Italian dish pizzoccheri is having a moment, thanks to the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Many Americans first learned about pizzoccheri due to Stanely Tucci’s spotlight on the dish in his Lombardy episode of “Searching for Italy” and now the New York Times has caught wind of the dish as well, writing about its significance and history. The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have come and gone (and honestly, we are a bit sad about it), but pizzoccheri will still be around long after. The food of Italy varies widely from region to region, and the food of Lombardy, the region in which Milan is located, is known for being hearty and rich. Pizzoccheri, a stellar example of this, is at its heart simple peasant fare, meant to be filling and comforting during the long winter months. It consists of fresh buckwheat flour noodles, potatoes, Savoy cabbage, and a heaping helping of rich, Valtellina Casera cheese (local to the Valtellina Valley from which this dish originates).
The rural, pastoral Valtellina is a world away from Milan, high in the mountains and bordering Switzerland. Milan is a cosmopolitan city featuring food from all over the world and from the many regions of Italy, but even there, you have to do a little digging to find this dish from the far north of the region. Our favorite place for stick-to-your-ribs local Lombardian food is La Piola in Milan (Viale Abruzzi, 23 – 20131 Milano). The restaurant has been in business for over 70 years and its specialties are the unique, hearty dishes of Lombardy, like pizzoccheri. Their rendition of Pizzoccheri was rich and sumptuous, though since we visited over the summer, we did not have the same warm-food-on-a-cold-day comfort. However, it is good to know that you can get it year round! Not only can you get Pizzoccheri at La Piola, but also the famous Risotto Alla Milanese – bright gold from saffron – and breaded veal Cotoletta alla Milanese, alongside lesser known dishes like Sciatt (fried cheese fritters from Valtellina). The desserts are also scrumptious, and include the local specialty cornmeal cake Sbrisolona.
Back in the Midwest, buckwheat flour is an unusual request, though we recently found some at Ohio City Provisions in Cleveland (3208 Lorain Ave.). If you can get your hands around some buckwheat flour or buckwheat noodles, pizzoccheri is not difficult to make at home. We attempted the recipe from La Cucina Italiana, and it was quite delicious, even without the official origin-protected cheese (Marcellina in Cucina offers some ideas for substitutes like Fontina or Montasio cheeses). However, if you cannot make your way to the foothills of the mountains, in an Alpine chalet, sampling some pizzoccheri is certainly the next best thing.
Eating The World 