South Tyrol food for kids: kid-friendly Dolomites food you’ll love
Learn about traditional South Tyrol food you and your kids can enjoy on the Dolomites with this list of food from Trentino Alto Adige, Italy.
South Tyrol, in the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige, is a unique place.
Part of Austria until the end of the First World War, South Tyrol is bilingual Italian-German and has a distinct identity, highly influenced by both Austria and Italy, which here share a border.
This Austrian influence impacts on language but also architecture, culture and food.
The food of South Tyrol is very different from the Italian food your kids may be used to.
Rather than pizza and pasta, the two foods most commonly associated with Italy, South Tyrolean menus boast specialties like knoedels, speck and polenta, foods that are perfect when you spend a day hiking or skiing on the wonderful mountains of this region.
Kids usually adore South Tyrolean food. It is tasty, warming, satisfying and has out-of-this-world desserts children (and adults) will never forget.
We have been vacationing in the Dolomites with our kids all their lives and my kids lick the plate at the end of every meal – considering how picky they are, this is a big thumbs up to the kid-friendliness of South Tyrol food!
This is a list of the most kid-friendly South Tyrol food you can get in Alto Adige, with photos.
South Tyrol food for kids: chart
| Name of the South Tyrolean plate | Description |
| Merenda Tirolese | Local charcuterie board with cheese and cured meats |
| Canederli / Knoedels | Bread Dumplings |
| Spaetzli | South Tyrolean gnocchi |
| Ravioli Tirolesi | South Tyrolean ravioli (filled pasta) |
| Minestra d’orzo | Barely soup |
| Wurstel e patate fritte | German sausage and potatoes |
| Piatto di speck, patate e uovo | PLatter with potatoes, grilled speck and fried egg |
| Kaisersmarrer | Sweet omelet with berry compote (dessert) |
| Strudel di mele | Austrian Apfel strudel, apple strudel |
| Yogurt naturale con in frutti di bosco | Natural yogurt with berries |
Food from Alto Adige: need to know
Before diving into the list of these South Tyrolean foods, there are a couple of things you will find handy to know.
- While South Tyrolean food is the food originally from this area, restaurants are well equipped to make plain, Italian dishes for kids such as pasta with tomato sauce.
- Gelato is available here and you will regularly see it in children’s menus as a yummy dessert option.
However, you will find that patisseries and more common than gelato parlors: I recommend you embrace this as the baked goods here are delicious!
- Unlike in the rest of Italy, kids’ menus are common. Usually, you have a section for kids on the main menu, marked with words such as ‘per i nostri piccoli ospiti’ (for our younger guests) or similar.
- Menus are usually bilingual German – Italian.
Meals are usually served earlier in the evening than in the rest of Italy.
- Expect to sit down for dinner between 7.00 and 7.30 pm and do not expect late evening servings.
Delicious kid-friendly foods from South Tyrol, Italy
Merenda Tirolese
Merenda Tirolese is the name of the local charchuterie board.
‘Merenda’ in Italian means ‘snack’ and this platter is indeed often offered as a small meal, starter or apertivo as well as main course for lunch.
The platter usually has a mix of local cured meats and cheese, served with pickles and sauce on the side.
Since this is a cold platter, it is most common as a lunch order at mountain huts or to accompany aperitivo (for parents: it goes really well with a Hugo, the local variation of a spritz!)
Children usually adore this Tyrolean PLatter however, it is rather salty so make sure you have plenty of water avaiable.
Schüttelbrot (Pane scosso)
Merenda Tirolese is usually accompanied with a basket of bread, breadsticks and Schüttelbrot.
While bread and breadsticks do not need an introduction, your kids may not have encountered Schüttelbrot before in Italy.
This is a type of thin, crispy bread made with anise seeds and it is super crunchy. Kids usually love it and the main issue is that they will fill up with it before the main course comes!
Canederli / Knoedels
Canederli is the Italian name of the German and Austrian knoedels, bread dumplings served dry or in the form of a soup.
Traditionally, canederli were a poor meal made with leftover bread and anything the farmers would have in the house (a little like panzanella or even the Spanish paella).
Nowadays, they are a specialty and on kids love!
The exact recipe varies from restaurant to restaurant and you can find them plain, green (with spinach) or even pink (with bettroot), served dry or in a broth.
My kids love the simple version and the delicious broth they come in: they are the perfect reward after a long family hike on the trails of the Dolomites!
Ravioli Tirolesi / Schlutzkrapfen
Schlutzkrapfen or Ravioli Tirolesi as they are called in Italian are the South Tyrol version of ravioli, filled pasta.
South Tyrolean ravioli have a crescent shape, they are usually filled with cheese (sometimes also spinach, but not always) and they are served with a delicious butter sauce.
They are plain enough to be loved by kids but they also have a very satisfying nutty flavor that will make more demanding foodies happy.
Gnocchetti Tirolesi (spaetzli)
Gnocchetti Tirolesi are delicious green gnocchi made with a base of spinach, flour and egg and dressed with a creamy sauce.
At first glance, you may think the green can be offputting for children however, these are one of the most popular South Tyrolean foods for kids and you will see kids ordering them over and over again!
Gnocchetti tirolesi are mild in flavor, creamy, easy to eat even by little children thanks to their smooth texture and they also make parents happy. asthey are a complete meal since they contain flour, eggs, butter and spinach!
In some cases, gnoccheti are dressed with mushrooms too: this may or may not be stated on the menu as this is a standard variation on the meal. Ask your server if this could be a ni issue for your children.
Zuppa d’orzo
Zuppa d’orzo (barley soup) is a popular south tyrolean dish for kids.
It is a mild-tasting, nutritious and warming soup and it is perfect for toddlers as well as older kids.
It is one of the lighter meals on this list and a great one for adults too, for those days when you may need a break from more substantial dishes!
Speck, patate e uova
Speck, patate e uova in Italian means ‘speck, potatoes and eggs’, which is the name and the complete description of this delicious kid-friendly dish from South Tyrol!
The dish is usually presented with sauteed potatoes, strips of grilled speck and fried eggs. Sometimes it is served with green salad on the side too. Kids adore it!
Wurstel e patate
Prett much all kids’ menus in South Tyrol offer wurst and potatoes, kid-friendly wurst sausage with either sauteed potatoes or chips.
A restaurant version of what we have as favorite party food, it always gets gobbled up quickly by kids (and us!)
Frittelle di Mele
Frittelle di mele are South Tyrolean apple fritters and they are delicious!
Usually served with a sprinke of sugar, cinnamon and custard, they are a fantastic snack or dessert kids and parents will adore.
Good to know: Apples are a native crop to this area. Trentino has fantastic apple orchards so when you order apple fritters, they do not come from afar and you can really appreciate their natural taste and freshness!
Kaisersmarren
Kaisersmarren are delicious sweet omelets typical of South Tyrol.
They are served as a dessert and they look like a pancake cup up in strips, then dusted with icing sugar and accompanied by red berry compote.
They are delicious and kids adore them: served hot, they taste like a sweet pancake and they often come with raisins sprinkled on top too.
While they are primarily a dessert, they can also work as a main for kids at lunch, since they are rather nutritious (they are made with flour, eggs and sugar as a base)
Strudel di mele
Strudel di mele is the Italian name for apfel strudel/ apple strudel, a cake that needs no introduction!
Strudel is a very popular South Tyrol food for kids and you find it served in several varieties: with more or less cinnamon, with a shell of shortcrust pastry or puff pastry, with or without ice cream or whipped cream on the side.
Yogurt naturale con frutti di bosco
The Dolomites produce wonderful dairy products and one of the local specialties is yogurt.
Yogurt comes in all flavors here but the one version that seems to make everyone happy is the plain one (Yogurt al naturale), especially when served with berries and syrup!
Sweet, creamy and only with a hint of acidity, it is a favorite South Tyrol dessert for kids and a fantastic local alternative to gelato.
More South Tyrol food for kids you may like
My children are rather picky when it comes to food so I started this list of South Tyrol food for kids with the plainest options available.
However, there is more to South Tyrol cuisine!
Other things kids may love are:
Goulash: tasty and warming casserole
Fettuccine al ragu di selvaggina: fettuccine with game ragout (stronger taste than Bolognese sauce)
Polenta con i funghi: polenta with mushrooms
Arrosto di capriolo: roe-deer roast
In terms of dessert, kids will be in food heaven in SouthTyrol. Common sweets they will find in the Dolomites are:
Occhio di bue: butter biscuit filled with jam
Torta di ricotta: local cheese cake with a rich filling of ricotta cheese and cream
I hope you enjoyed this overview of South Tyrol food for kids and it helped you know what to expect when visiting the Dolomites. Safe travels and… buon appetito!
Traditional South Tyrol food for kids: pin this!
