The gastronomy of Merano/Meran reflects its history and peculiarities, with many of its restaurants offering a choice of both Alpine and Mediterranean cuisine. The regionally-sourced ingredients are either used in the traditional manner or are imaginatively reinvented.
The basic ingredients found in the Merano cuisine include different types of flour for baking breads and pork meat, which is processed into Speck and ham.
Cheeses, both fresh as well as matured, a variety of potato recipes and all sorts of aromatic herbs (including chervil, thyme and chives) have contributed to the enrichment of the local cuisine.
Another traditional Merano classic is fresh trout from the Passer River. The Austrian influence is strongest in the variety and types of desserts, including the ever-popular apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn, the sweet “Emperor’s fritter”.
South Tyrolean cuisine has also been decisively shaped by Mediterranean influences and nowhere more so than in Merano. It’s no surprise then that in many restaurant menus you’ll find Parma ham listed next to South Tyrolean speck or Italian minestrone alongside hearty barley soup and broth dumplings. Various classical Italian dishes include noodles, risotto, ossobuco alla milanese and pizza.