Bagna Cauda

You do not actually cook in the bagna cauda (literally, hot bath), a round earthenware dish glazed only on the inside and with a space underneath for a candle, the function of which is keeping the contents of the dish warm. The bagna cauda is used in Piedmont in the autumn for an anchovy and garlic sauce into which pieces of raw vegetable are dipped at the table. This is washed down with plenty of Barolo, the powerful full-bodied red wine of the region. Anything less robust would not stand up to the experience.