That is why one of the features of Cremona cuisine is the production of salami and cheese.
Among salami the names worth mentioning are Salame Cremona PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), with a soft paste and a slight scent of garlic, the Cotechino Vaniglia, (vanilla cotechino) thus called because of its particularly sweet taste, and the Salame da pentola, which is basically one of the ingredients of the Gran Bollito Cremonese (mixed boiled meat). As regard cheese, especially worth mentioning are Grana Padano, Provolone Valpadana and Salva Cremasco: all of three have been granted the PDO(Protected Designation of Origin). the Mostarda di Cremona, made of crystallized fruit soaked in glucose syrup flavoured with mustard is a perfect match for the Gran Bollito Cremonese and the cheese of our territory.
Cremona is also home to the nougat ("torrone" in Italian) which, according to the legends, was developed in Cremona as a dessert for the banquet at the wedding of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza on October 25, 1441. This typical sweet is usually celebrated every year, on the second last weekend in November, at the well known Festa del Torrone (Nougat fair).
In order to protect the quality standards of the typical local products and encourage the territory's economic development also via integrated tourism the Strada del gusto cremonese nella terra di Stradivari was established in 2002, and now it has about 90 members including restaurants, farm holidays, public authorities, private companies and consortia. Quality, tourism offers tailored to the "gluttonous" tourist, the province's sheer production power and the hospitality of the denizens of the land of Stradivari are the keys to the success of the Strada del Gusto Cremonese.