Bagna Cauda

November 6, 2025

Bagna Cauda - kvalifood.com

Bagna cauda is a warm dipping sauce from Piedmont – garlic and anchovies slowly dissolved in olive oil over very low heat. It is served communally in a fondue-style pot with raw and cooked vegetables for dipping. The name means “hot bath” in Piedmontese dialect.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 heads garlic, cloves separated, peeled, halved, green germ removed, thinly sliced
200 ml extra virgin olive oil
80 g salt-packed whole anchovies, desalted, filleted (ca. 60 g net)
20 g unsalted butter (optional, for finish)

Directions

Place the sliced garlic in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or terracotta pot. Add about 50 ml of the olive oil – just enough to cover the garlic. Cook over the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes. The garlic should become very soft and creamy, almost paste-like. It must not brown at any point.

Add the anchovy fillets. Stir gently and continuously. The anchovies will break apart and dissolve into the oil and garlic over 5-10 minutes.

Pour in the remaining olive oil. Stir to combine. Simmer gently over very low heat for another 10 minutes. The sauce should be warm and loose, not bubbling hard.

Stir in the butter (if using) for a silkier texture.

Transfer to a fondue pot or vessel that can sit over a tea light. The sauce must stay warm throughout the meal. Serve with platters of raw and cooked vegetables.

Notes

Serve with raw vegetables (cardoons, bell peppers, celery, radishes, endive) and cooked vegetables (boiled potatoes, roasted beets, roasted Jerusalem artichokes, steamed cabbage).
This recipe uses 1 head of garlic per person, following the traditional Piedmontese standard. For a milder version, reduce to 2 heads total or soak the sliced garlic in milk for 1-2 hours before cooking.
Salt-packed whole anchovies have better flavor than oil-packed fillets. If using oil-packed, use about 80 g fillets and skip desalting.
If the garlic browns or the oil starts spattering, the heat is too high.
Leftover sauce at the bottom of the pot is traditionally used to scramble eggs the next morning.
A small splash of walnut oil mixed into the olive oil is a traditional Piedmontese touch.