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Nestled between the Alps and the Apennines, Emilia-Romagna owes its rich culinary tradition, often revered as one of the finest in Italy, to the unique nature of its territory.
The Po River runs across the whole region. It marks the boundary between the fertile soil of the Pianura Padana, the agricultural heart of northern Italy, and the gentle curves of the pre-Apennines on the border with Toscana. Following the Po, the east of the region opens widely onto the Adriatic Sea, with a low, uniform coastline and shallow waters.
Once marshland, the Pianura Padana is now one of the most fertile areas in the country after a long history of cultivation. The Romans were perhaps the first to spot the region's enormous agricultural potential and made it a key center for the empire's food production. Often called "the food valley," it is abundant in cereal crops and cattle rearing and home to some of the most renowned food producers in the country.
Institutionally, Emilia-Romagna is one region. Culturally and gastronomically, it is two.
Emilia lies along an ancient Roman trading route. It stretches from the western tip of the region, with the cities of Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Ferrara dotted around it like jewels in a crown.
Its cuisine is solid, rich and indulgent, built heavily on pork and animal fats thanks to the Lombard (a Germanic tribe) domination of the region — think Prosciutto di Parma. It is equally revered for a sophistication that comes naturally, an indelible mark left by the Renaissance court tradition.
Pellegrino Artusi, nineteenth-century author of The Science of Cooking and the Art of Fine Dining, put it this way: "When you come across the Cucina Emiliana (Emilia's cuisine), take a bow, because it deserves it."
Romagna runs from Bologna to the Adriatic coast. Unlike Emilia, it carries a Byzantine heritage that shaped many aspects of its culture. It is still evident in the churches and mosaics of Ravenna and in the prominence of terracotta-based cooking methods. Shaped more by the closeness of the sea than by the aristocratic tradition of the courts, Romagna's cooking is simpler and closer to the land, but just as varied and deep as Emilia's.
The region counts more than 200 traditional products and 26 ingredients with geographically protected status, so it is no wonder it is considered the gastronomic heart of Italy.
Geography explains much of it. Low altitudes and rich, fertile soil alternate with mountains and the coast, creating room for gastronomic variety to thrive. Climate plays a fundamental role too, with notoriously long, harsh winters followed by hot, humid summers. The nebbia (mist) of the Pianura Padana, dreaded by many who live there, is an essential part of the aging process of many of these ingredients.
Alongside Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, no table in Emilia-Romagna is complete without a tray of salumi, cured pork meat.
Prosciutto Crudo di Parma (Parma ham) has a characteristic sweetness and an almost veil-like consistency, and it is considered the "king" of salumi. Like Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, it comes from a careful balance of quality ingredients and a completely natural aging process. Salt is important, but the warm sea breeze from nearby Liguria has always played the key role in drying the meat and giving it its delicate flavor. Anyone working at a salumeria (salami shop) will tell you the secret is slicing prosciutto so thinly that it dissolves in the mouth, which minimizes the salt released by the meat.
Around the hills near Parma, many other salumi are worth a detour. Salame di Felino is a pork sausage with tender, sweet meat from locally reared pigs that feed on nothing but acorns. Coppa Piacentina is stronger and slightly saltier, made exclusively in the area of Piacenza and aged at 3,000 feet above sea level.
Culatello di Zibello comes from the Bassa (the low Pianura Padana) along the Po, around Busseto, Zibello, Soragna, Polesine, Sissa, Roccabianca, Colorno and San Secondo. Its name means "little rump" and refers to the soft meat from the interior of the pig's thigh muscles. The meat is cured in salt, pepper, garlic and white wine, and the alternating dry and wet weather of the Bassa creates the right environment for a delicate, aromatic flavor.
Culatello is a niche product and a real delicacy, best enjoyed simply. Try it on crusty bread lightly smeared with butter, with a soft cheese or a slice of melon, or flavoring a plate of tagliolini.
Another gem of the Bassa is the spalla cotta di San Secondo, a slow-cooked pork shoulder flavored with herbs, spices and Fontanina wine. Slightly thicker than other salumi, it has a soft, velvety texture and can be enjoyed warm or cold, ideally with a slice of torta fritta (fried dough).
Mortadella di Bologna, with its cylindrical shape, pink color and slightly spiced flavor, is a giant among the region's salumi — quite literally, given its size.
The abundant pastures of the fertile Pianura Padana corridor make milk and butter exceptional. Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, known worldwide for its firm yet delicate taste, shows how local produce becomes a premium product.
It is "made" by the knowledgeable hands of the Casaro, not "manufactured." It can only be produced from the milk of cows that feed in a strictly defined area between Parma, Reggio, Modena, Bologna and Mantova, and it ages naturally, with no preservatives.
Its paste is hay-colored, firm and slightly granular. It has long been a key condiment in Emilia-Romagna — fresh pasta always gets a generous sprinkle — and a staple of the local diet from childhood. You will also spot it in huge wheels on the buffet table at many aperitivi in the region.
Exceptional milk and meat are among the region's gastronomic assets, and so are vineyards. They produce a wide and varied selection of wines and one of the region's most unique condiments, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Deep, rich and glossy brown, with an unmistakable syrupy yet flowing consistency, this special balsamic vinegar is produced in the territories once dominated by the Renaissance court of the Este family.
It is made from simmered grape juice (usually the local Trebbiano variety, but also Lambrusco and Ancellotta) and matures slowly through acidification in a series of casks made from different types of wood. Its perfume is complex, with a delicate balance between sweet and sour. Traditionally it flavors roast meat, but it is also great on a bite of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP or as a topping on a scoop of ice cream with strawberries.
In Romagna, one of the most notable ingredients is riso del Delta del Po (rice from the Po Estuary). It is grown on the furthest eastern tip of the Po, in the area straddling Romagna and the nearby region of Veneto, on land formed and made fertile by deposits from the river.
The light sea breeze and the fertile land create ideal conditions for varieties such as Arborio, Baldo e Volano and Carnaroli. Carnaroli is renowned for its superior qualities and used in the delicate risotti of the Italian and international fine dining scene.
The mountainous Apennines matter as much as the fertile plain and the breeze of the coast. The area of Frignano, for instance, is famous for marroni: soft, ivory-colored chestnuts with a fine-grain pulp, sweet and delicate, that grow naturally on the chestnut tree.
Marroni were once a core part of the local diet, especially in times of war and famine when other produce was scarce. The tree was commonly called albero del pane (bread tree). Roasted or boiled, made into castagnaccio or pattona (traditional cakes made of chestnut flour), or gently simmered into marmalade, marroni remain a delicacy of any autumn in Emilia-Romagna.
In Bologna, a plate of fresh tagliatelle dressed with plenty of ragù alla Bolognese still holds a special place in everyone's hearts and on their tables. The word ragù comes from the French ragoutier ("to awaken the appetite"). The sauce is made from lean minced beef and pancetta, folded into a base of finely chopped carrots, celery and onions and gently stewed with salt, pepper, nutmeg, a touch of tomato for color and a dash of white wine. It is said to have first appeared in the region in the seventeenth century thanks to Alberto Alvisi, who cooked for the cardinal of Imola and first served it as part of a dish of maccheroni.
Stuffed pasta has almost as many names as the towns that proudly produce it. From Parma to Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna you will find, to name a few:
The filling starts with a base of soft cheese (normally ricotta), Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, egg and nutmeg. Some versions add vegetables (pumpkin in the cappellacci of Ferrara or chard in the tortelli d'Erbetta of Parma) or meat (in Bologna, mortadella and pork loin).
They are enjoyed all year round, but it is not Christmas or Easter in Emilia-Romagna without a plate of these pasta parcels. They are equally delicious served dry (asciutti) in generous amounts of butter and Parmesan or in a clear consommé (in brodo).
Another Christmas classic in Emilia-Romagna is zampone or cotechino di Modena, a pig's trotter stuffed with a mixture of lean pork meat and fat from the belly, neck and pig skin. The meat is stewed for up to four hours. The seasoning of salt, pepper and mixed spices such as cinnamon, coriander, cumin and cloves gives this hearty dish a distinctive warmth and aromatic flavor, perfect for staving off the region's harsh winters.
It is sliced at the table, half an inch thick, and traditionally served with generous amounts of mashed potato. On New Year's Eve, it comes after midnight on a bed of lentils as an omen of wealth and good luck in the year to come.
If winters in Emilia-Romagna are all about fresh pasta and pork, summers taste distinctly different. On the Adriatic coast, Piadina Romagnola is the undisputed protagonist of the season. Born in the coastal towns of Ravenna, Forlì and Cesena, it is a staple of Romagna's street food and a favorite snack of locals and tourists alike.
Piadina is a round flatbread made of flour, water and olive oil, most probably of Greek-Byzantine origin. Its name is thought to come from pita, the Greek word for focaccia. It stands out from other flatbreads for its crisp, deceptively light appearance and extremely indulgent flavor. Lard is often used instead of olive oil in the traditional recipe. It is traditionally baked on a terracotta tray placed on an open fire.
Piadina can be stuffed with a variety of cheeses, salumi and vegetables or, in a sweet, more modern version, with Nutella. Its historical companion remains Squacquerone, a soft, creamy, whole-milk fresh cheese, also from the region.
Another traditional street snack is Gnocco Fritto di Modena, also known as Crescentina in Bologna or Torta Fritta in Parma. This deep-fried dough parcel of flour, salt, water and lard is thought to have originated from the Lombard domination of the region. Shaped like a warm "pillow" of dough, it is golden and crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. Fill it with savory or sweet ingredients, or serve it with salumi, soft cheese or even jam.
Adapted from an article by Caterina Violi, first published on Great Italian Chefs.
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