Bagna cauda: the brown, warm sauce Poh Ling Yeow can't get enough of

Bagna cauda always goes with an assortment of raw and cooked vegetable you can dip in the "warm sauce". Source: ABC Books/Randy Larcombe

The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine

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In our second episode we will go to Piedmont for the warm sauce whose aroma won't leave you for days. With us artist and cook Poh Ling Yeow (and if you understand Italian, don't miss the Italian version of this podcast with Monica Esposito, one of the official Bagna Cauda Day chefs).

Bagna cauda (literally warm sauce in the Piedmontese dialect) is a dip loaded with anchovies and garlic, which is very popular in many areas of Piedmont, a large north-western Italian region.

Thanks to Piedmontese migrants moving abroad, bagna cauda has now acquired international fame, and it is particularly loved in Japan, in forms and shapes that Italians might be slightly horrified by, given the importance tradition has for most.

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You can make bagna cauda in six minutes (Italians take hours!).
Chinese and Italians share their love for traditional recipes.
One of Poh's favourite ingredients shines in bagna cauda.

Bagna cauda is one of the Italian dishes artist, cook and national treasure Poh Ling Yeow loves the most. Source: Poh Ling Yeow

Poh Ling Yeow got her love for Italian food from fellow Masterchef Australia's contestant André Ursini, who introduced her also to bagna cauda.

The humble Italian dip is a favourite at Poh's dinner parties, as it's always a conversation starter, with its unusual look and the vast choice of vegetables that go with it.

People are really turning to slow food and things that are grounding them and giving them a real sense of belonging and meaning in life. I think delicious, wholesome food definitely does that.

Listen to the second episode of

The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine

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