In the Dolomites, you’ll find cozy mountain cuisine influenced by three distinct cultures: Italy’s Mediterranean leanings, the Imperial ghost of the Austrian Habsburgs, and the ancient traditions of the indigenous Ladin people.
The Ladins, descendants of Rhaetian tribes and Roman soldiers, developed a survivalist cucina povera in the isolated, high-altitude valleys around the Sella Massif, relying on hardy rye and frying to add caloric density to meager harvests. This culinary bedrock was overlaid by centuries of Austrian rule—which ended only in 1919—leaving a legacy of butter over olive oil, smoked cures over fresh meat, and a penchant for mixing sweet and savory.
