As Cristina Stevanin loves to remind people, in Piedmontese Ciuenda means hedge. And the hedge surrounding the farm is the perfect spot from which to enjoy the beautiful landscape that slopes down from Roero toward Bra, with flat land and the Alps, and Monviso at the centre.
In the Royal Store of Terre dei Savoia at the Racconigi Castle, Ciuenda offers Strawberry jam, which has become one of Roero’s most distinctive products. Intensely coloured, flamboyant, fragranced fruits with a sweet, delicate flavour: these are the typical characteristics of the local strawberries, which are widely grown on the hills of the = Tanaro and which are well appreciated for their resistance to transport.
Strawberry jam is just one of the many delicacies Ciuenda has to offer; it also sells apricots, peaches, cherries and ramasin (a Piedmontese term of Saracen origin meaning plums). Cristina also uses strawberries to create a salsa, with balsamic vinegar, which goes particularly well with cheeses, meats and cold cuts. Barbero and Moscato Cugnà (quince preserve), watermelon ‘mostarda’ (sweet fruit pickle) and mustard, with a touch of garlic (perfect for a bourguignonne), are also very well suited for the purpose. Other original, tasty delicacies include the rose petal preserve (roses can be used to treat burning throat sensations and to sooth coughs); the perfect accompaniment for fresh, medium cheeses; and pickled apricot and onion preserve with star anise, which is excellent with boiled meats.
Cristina doesn’t keep any secrets
The company doesn’t keep any secrets (well, almost none): the recipes can be learned on-site, through special courses! Because La Ciuenda loves inspiring its customers, not only through the quality of its products, but also through trips to surrounding areas, such as A farmer’s Sunday. Visitors can marvel at the wild beauty of the area by taking a stroll through the woods of Pocapaglia, while building up an appetite in preparation for the tasting lunch, with cheeses, cold cuts and wines, whose flavours are accompanied and enhanced by the company’s products: salsas and creams, jams, the unmissable bagnet (red and green), ‘bagna cauda’ (hot dip), truffle peppers, all produced using environmentally-friendly, traditional production methods, without any chemical additives.
You can also take part in observation activities, which are rounded off with an interesting sensory route of discovery through the aromatic herbs, both wild and cultivated. Ciuenda is open every day. You can enjoy a packed lunch in the garden, while admiring the beautiful panorama.