As San Marino

San Marino

San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...

 is a microstate

European microstates

The European microstates or ministates are a set of very small states in Europe. While Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City are usually included, Luxembourg and Cyprus share certain features as well...

 completely landlocked by Italy, Sammarinese cuisine is strongly similar to the Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...

, especially that of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

 and Marche

Marche

The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...

 regions. However, although partly based on a typical Mediterranean diet

Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of southern Italy, Crete and much of the rest of Greece in the 1960s....

, it also draws on a richer eclectic cuisine and has a number of its own unique dishes and products.

Local savoury dishes include fagioli con le cotiche, a Christmas bean and bacon soup; pasta e ceci, a chickpea

Chickpea

The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...

 and noodle

Noodle

The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...

 soup with garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

 and rosemary

Rosemary

Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...

; nidi di rondine a baked pasta

Pasta

Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...

 dish with smoked ham, beef, cheese, and a tomato sauce; and roast rabbit with fennel

Fennel

Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...

.

There is also a dish found mostly in Borgo Maggiore called a Piada, which is something similar to a piadina

Piadina

Piadina or Piada is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna region . It is usually made with white flour, lard , salt and water...

 from Emilia-Romagna.

Sweets include a cake known as Torta Tre Monti

Torta Tre Monti

Torta Tre Monti is a traditional Sammarinese cake made of layers of thin waffled wafers cemented together by chocolate or hazelnut creme. The final product is covered in chocolate fondant...

("Cake of the Three Mountains/Towers"), based on The Three Towers of San Marino

The Three Towers of San Marino

The Three Towers of San Marino are a group of towers located in the small European country of San Marino. Located on the three peaks of Monte Titano in the capital, also called San Marino, they are depicted on both the national flag and coat of arms...

 and similar to a layered wafer cake covered in chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

; Torta Titano, a layered dessert made with biscuit, hazelnuts, chocolate, cream and coffee, also inspired by San Marino's central mountain, Monte Titano

Monte Titano

Monte Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount...

; Bustrengo, a traditional Christmas cake made with honey, nuts and dried fruit; Verretta, a dessert made of hazelnuts, praline and chocolate wafers; Cacciatello, a dessert made with milk, sugar and eggs, similar to Crème caramel; and zuppa di ciliegie, cherries stewed in sweetened red wine and served on white bread.

The region also produces a number of wines

Sammarinese wine

Sammarinese wine is wine from San Marino, which is home to a small but profitable wine industry. Being a small enclave within Italy, its wine industry is often overshadowed by its larger neighbor. The region produces a number of wines such as Brugneto and Tessano and Biancale and Roncale...

 such as Brugneto and Tessano (cask-aged red wines) and Biancale and Roncale (still white wines).. Its liqueur

Liqueur

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...

s include the aniseed-flavoured Mistrà, the truffle-flavoured Tilus and the herbal Duca di Gualdo.