PORTALE AEM · SAN SEVERINO MARCHE
What to eat
DISCOVER THROUGH FLAVOUR
The flavours of San Severino Marche and inland Macerata.
From the sharing board to dessert, here is what to taste when you visit: home-style dishes, cured meat you spread on bread and wines made close by.
Taste these at least once.
Three flavours that say a lot about this land. If time is short, start here.
FIRST COURSE
Vincisgrassi
The signature dish of the Macerata area: layers of egg pasta, a ragù of hand-cut meats with chicken giblets, béchamel and cheese, finished in the oven. Just don’t call it lasagne! The name “princisgras” already appears in the 18th-century recipe book of the Macerata cook Antonio Nebbia, and since 2022 “Vincisgrassi alla maceratese” has been a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed in the EU.
CURED MEAT
Ciauscolo
The soft salami you spread on bread: very finely minced pork with garlic and pepper. Fragrant and delicate, on a warm slice it is the simplest way to understand Le Marche. Ciauscolo holds PGI status.
FIRST COURSE
Pappardelle with hare sauce
Wide ribbons of pasta with hare sauce: a hearty first course you can find inland from Macerata, for example near San Ginesio. If you see it on the menu, make the most of it.
On the sharing board.
To start a meal, or to make a meal of it with a glass of wine.
CURED MEAT
Liver salami
Ciauscolo’s bolder cousin: made with pork liver, it is dark and intense, with a flavour you won’t miss. It is also made here in San Severino Marche. Try a few thin slices if you like strong tastes.
CHEESE
Pecorino and ricotta
Sheep’s milk from mountain pastures: fresh ricotta and pecorino, aged too. On the Macereto plateau, towards the Sibillini mountains, some of it is matured in caves.
EASTER
Easter cheese crescia
A tradition found across the region, from the Ancona area through Macerata to the Piceno: a majestic savoury leavened loaf that looks like a panettone. The dough is packed with pecorino romano, Marche pecorino and parmesan, both grated and diced. It is eaten on Easter morning with ciauscolo, salame lardellato and hard-boiled eggs.
Main courses to try.
Farmyard meats, cooked patiently with aromatic herbs. This is where the local table surprises most.
MAIN COURSE
Stuffed pigeon
In Macerata it is called pistacoppo, which is also the playful nickname for the people of the city. The pigeon is boned, stuffed with its giblets, breadcrumbs and pecorino, then baked.
MAIN COURSE
Coniglio in porchetta
Rabbit boned, seasoned with wild fennel, garlic and rosemary, then roasted. “In porchetta” means seasoned like Italian roast pork. It is a Sunday lunch classic.
MAIN COURSE
Pollo in potacchio
Potacchio is a very local way of braising: white wine, garlic, onion and rosemary, with or without tomato. The same base is also used for rabbit and lamb. Save some bread for the sauce.
In your glass.
Three wines made close to one another, and very different from each other.
SAN SEVERINO MARCHE
I Terreni di Sanseverino
The home denomination: its grapes come only from the municipality of San Severino Marche. The Rosso is at least half Vernaccia Nera, also in a passito version, and the Moro is mainly Montepulciano.
SERRAPETRONA
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona
A sparkling red, a true rarity of Le Marche and the region’s first DOCG. It is made from Vernaccia Nera, not far from San Severino Marche.
MATELICA
Verdicchio di Matelica
The great white of the high hills, grown further inland than the Castelli di Jesi. DOC, and DOCG for the Riserva.
To finish.
Desserts tied to the seasons and to festivities: if you find them, it is worth stopping.
AUTUMN
Sughitti
The grape harvest dessert: grape must cooked with maize flour and walnuts. It comes from Montecassiano, in the Macerata area, and is eaten during and just after the harvest.
RICOTTA
Calcioni
Small pastry parcels filled with ricotta, sugar and liqueur, typical of Macerata and Treia among other places. There is also a savoury version with sheep’s ricotta and marjoram.
CARNIVAL
Cicerchiata
Small balls of fried dough held together with honey. The name comes from the cicerchia, an ancient legume they resemble. A dessert to share.
Have a flavour or a story to share?
If you produce, cook or sell one of these products, or another one missing here, get in touch. We can begin with a dish, a shop or a recipe to tell together.
This page describes local tradition: recipes and ingredients vary from home to home. Not every dish is always available: for menus and allergens, ask the restaurant directly.
