In Emilia-Romagna the honor roll of foods is led by pasta, made with fresh eggs and rolled by hand by a sfoglina to achieve perfect texture. The universal primo is tagliatelle con ragù, though cooks consider the meat sauce personal works of art. Bologna, whose specialties include green lasagne and curly gramigna, disputes with Modena the creation of tortellini (modeled after Venus's navel). Parma's prides are large square envelopes called tortelli and the rounded anolini, which are also made in Piacenza, home of the bean-shaped pisarei. Ferrara's cappellacci (big hats) are stuffed with squash. Reggio's cappelletti (little hats) differ from pasta of the same name in Romagna, whose specialties include the rolled tubes called garganelli and slim dumplings called passatelli. Pasticcio is pasta with other ingredients baked in a pie, though interpretations vary.
Polenta, once a staple of the country diet, now plays a secondary role to pasta in the region, as do rice and gnocchi. Vegetables, greens and legumes of all sorts are grown here, though they are often cooked in soups or with pasta. Romagna has a native species of shallot protected as IGP Scalogno di Romagna. Mushrooms from the Apennines are prized, notably from around Borgotaro, where they enjoy IGP status. Romagna produces a bit of olive oil, protected under DOP for the town of Brisighella.
Baked nearly everywhere are hard wheat rolls of snow white interior and tawny crust called coppiette, due to their shape resembling a "coupled" set of horns. Local versions of flatbreads abound. Most renowned is Romagna's circular piadina or piada, baked on tiles (or griddles) and folded over prosciutto, cheese or greens. Thicker focaccia is called spianata or torta salata, though with salt pork in the dough it becomes crescentina at Bologna. In Emilia's hills, paper thin borlengo or burleng is cooked like a crêpe, dressed with salt pork, garlic and rosemary, folded into quarters and served with grated Parmigiano. Similar flavorings are used on the muffin-like tigelle, baked between tile disks.
Crisp fritters are made through Emilia, originally fried in lard but now more often in oil, sometimes flavored with pork crackling, prosciutto or sausage, though types vary. Examples are burtleina at Piacenza, torta fritta at Parma, gnocco fritto at Modena, chizza at Reggio. Bologna's renowned fritto misto combines pastry fritters with fried meats and vegetables. The filling of fried cassoni includes spinach and raisins.
In Emilia, the curing of pork is an age-old master craft. Prosciutto di Parma, Italy's best known meat product, is protected by DOP, as is the rare but even more prized Culatello di Zibello, a filet of rump aged in the foggy lowlands along the Po. Bologna is noted for giant loaves called Mortadella, though the IGP extends through the region and beyond. Modena pig's foot sausage zampone is eaten nationwide at the New Year with lentils for luck. DOP protects Zampone di Modena and Prosciutto di Modena, while IGP applies to Cotechino di Modena, a sausage whose stuffing includes bits of rind.
Piacenza is a center of salume production, with DOP applied to Coppa Piacentina, the neck roll, elsewhere called capocollo, as well as Salame Piacentino and the un-smoked bacon known as Pancetta Piacentina. Ferrara's salama da sugo blends choice bits of pork in a juicy stuffing with red wine, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Emilians all make lean and mildly seasoned salame gentile.
The Romagnola breed of cattle is covered by the IGP of Vitellone Bianco dell'Appennino Centrale. Other meats appreciated throughout the region are veal, turkey, capon, chicken and rabbit. Romagnans have a taste for duck and grilled and roast pork, lamb and mutton. Cesenatico is the seafood haven of Romagna, whose brodetto is among the tastiest of the Adriatic's fish soups. Eels from the Comacchio lagoon may be stewed, roasted or grilled.
Emilia's Parmigiano Reggiano, the "king of cheeses," is firm yet brittle enough to break into bite-sized chunks of elegantly mellow flavor. Aging makes Parmigiano golden and hard for grating. Romagna's formaggio di fossa from the milk of sheep or cows is ripened in caves for three months. Ravaggiolo and squaquarone are tangy cream cheeses used mainly in cooking.
Sweets seem almost sinful after such rich fare. That may explain why fruit, especially home grown peaches, cherries, strawberries, pears and muskmelons, as well as nuts, are prominent in the diet. Of special note are the cherries of Vignola and the pears, peaches and nectarines protected as IGP in Romagna. Chestnuts thrive in the Apennines, where the Marrone del Castel Rio rates an IGP.
Emilia-Romagna boasts its share of biscuits, pastries, tarts, sweet ravioli and tortelli, sherbets and ices. Traditional desserts include Bologna's certosino (spice cake), Ferrara's torta di mele (apple cake), Modena's bensone (lemon-flavored crumble), Romagna's gialetti (cornmeal biscuits) and piada dei morti (flatbread with nuts and raisins).
Aceto balsamico tradizionale is aged at least 12 years in barrels of different types of wood to become dark, dense and almost too divine to be called vinegar. The traditional type is protected by a DOP in Modena and Reggio, but imitations abound. The tradizionale is a unique condiment for meat, fish, and vegetables or the prime ingredient in sauces. Vinegars of 20 years old or more may be sipped from a teaspoon as a cordial or digestive.
Emilia-Romagna boasts 18 DOC wines. In Emilia, where most wines are bubbly, the perfect foil for luxury fare is vivacious red Lambrusco, dry, however, not sweet. In Romagna, hearty red Sangiovese goes with meats and cheeses and the dry white Trebbiano is preferred with fish. The region's lone DOCG is the white Albana di Romagna, historically sweet but today mainly dry. Emilia's preferred digestivo is nocino, a liqueur made of green walnuts steeped in distilled spirits.
