LOCAL FLAVORS

Pandino rises in a fertile area, bathed by numerous streams and fountains, in the area that was formerly occupied by Lake Gerundo, a marshy expanse, inhabited by the legendary Tarantasio Dragon.
The agricultural vocation of the area has led over the centuries to a great development of breeding and dairy production is a pride for the Pandino area.
There are many dairies with a varied and high quality production and Pandino also hosts an institute dedicated to milk processing that attracts students from all over Italy: the “Scuola Casearia di Pandino: Dairy School of the Stanga higher education institution”.

Another clue that allows us to understand the enormous importance of the milk supply chain is the local production of Salva Cremasco PDO cheese.

This particular product owes the origin of its name to its function, in fact it was born from the need to save excess milk (especially related to transhumance from the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia to the plain)
 

One of the places in Pandino area that best represent the preservation of traditions and their development is the hamlet of Gradella: certificated as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Located a short distance from Pandino, it is accessed from a scenic tree-lined avenue.
The town is a small rural village with numerous farmhouses and open courtyards with houses painted in yellow with red brick profiles.  Walking through Gradella you will come across stables, farmyard animals and even a family of fallow deer, brought to Gradella by the last countess who resided in the village.
 

The city of Pandino also boasts an artisanal production of another typical product of the area: the Mostarda, a gastronomic delicacy from Cremona which consists of fruit in glucose syrup with the addition of mustard and therefore very spicy.
The MOSTARDA produced in Pandino welcomes tradition and leads it to new experiments, here you can taste vegetable mustards, new combinations and mustard compotes.
Mostarda is traditionally accompanied with cheeses and also with boiled meats: a dish that brings to mind our foggy and cold autumns.
 

Last but certainly not least… the pig.
The whole Po Valley is dotted with pig farms and the pig has meant sustenance and growth for generations: “nothing is thrown away from the pig” this is the phrase said by our grandparents.
In fact, the culinary tradition of our area provides for numerous recipes that recall the use of the "fifth quarter".
If the pig is the king, the salami is the prince of our table: the production of sausages in Pandino is very varied: from the traditional slightly garlicky salami to the more delicate one without garlic ... impossible to make a choice, - you just have to taste them  and buy them all.
 

On the other hand, one of the flavors you don't expect is… caviar: in an area suited to animal husbandry, strong flavors and traditions, it is certainly a type of production that fascinates and enchants visitors.
It is an incredible story but one of the main European producers of caviar is based in Pandino.  The exclusive Italian caviar is produced from sturgeons reared within the Tormo River Park (PLIS)
The Tormo river is totally atypical, in fact it rises in the plain and its waters come entirely from fountains that feed it during its course.  Thanks to this, the water of the Tormo river is always clear, cool in summer and temperate in winter.
Perfect condition: the caviar produced here is of the highest quality and a unique excellence.