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Cuisine of Emilia Romagna

The cured meats, cheeses, wines, pasta and traditional balsamic vinegar are the true artesian masterpieces of Emilia Romagna.

Emilia Romagna is the birthplace of handmade pasta such as tagliatelle, tortellini, cappelletti and lasagna. Other specialties worth noting are are gnocco fritto, pieces of pasta rolled thin and fried in boiling lard to acquire their characteristic taste and eaten while still hot with local sausage, Erbazzone which is a spinach pastry, chestnuts roasted or used to make a delicious sauce, truffles, wild boar and the wonderful drinks and pastry fillings made from the fruits found in the woods of the area such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and bilberries.

Of course you can combine eating with exercise by going mushroom picking in the mountains; the area is home to the marvelous porcini mushroom. If you are looking for delicacies truly fit for a king, you would be hard pushed to beat Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese). Parmigiano Reggiano represents all that is excellent about food production in the Emilian Apennines. Produced in 52 diaries with milk taken from 860 farms that own a total of 30,000 selected cows. It can be eaten before, during or after your meal and it is present in hundreds of recipes.

The world famous traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena and Reggio Emilia delights the taste buds thanks to its unique production process, derived not from wine, but for the skins of the best grapes. It undergoes a slow and lengthy transformation from skins to vinegar which can in some cases mean more than 25 years from start to finish.

In Emilia the premier wine is Lambrusco, in frothy shades of purple to pink it is made from grapes grown on high trellised vines, mainly in the flatlands south of the Po. Romagna's wines come primarily from the native Sangiovese, Trebbiano and Albana grape, the variety that accounted for Italy's first white DOCG

There are many outlets for locally produced food but the best means is undoubtedly through the market. Every village has a market day and as the villages are reasonably close to each other giving you exceptional choice. Freshly made pasta is available in bakeries, Castelnovo ne Monti has shops which sell nothing else! If you want the locally made Parmigiano Reggiano you can go to Minozzo, where cheese production is an art. Local wines can be purchased through the wine seller in Villa Minozzo. Fruit and Vegetables can be got at the market or the traveling grocer vans that have their mountain rounds. Meat from the butchers originates in the area. Bread is baked in the local bakeries. Higher up in the mountains, the porcini mushrooms, blackberries and blue berries are abundant and can be found in most local grocers. Products made from these fruits, such as the potent but exquisite 'Mirtillo' liqueur, which uses wild blueberries, are also to be found in abundance.

Example dishes of Emilia Romagana

Asparagi alla parmigiana: green asparagus served with melted butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Cappelletti romagnoli: the “hats” with a filling of cheese, pork, turkey breast, sage and rosemary are served with a pork ragout or in broth.
cappone ripieno large capon roast in the oven with a stuffing of veal, ham and Marsala.
Erbazzone: round tart baked or fried with spinach or chard, salt pork, onions, garlic, sometimes ricotta, typical of Reggio, called scarpazzone when baked in a crust.
Garganelli: pasta tubes with ragù alla romagnola based on chicken livers, veal, prosciutto, tomatoes, herbs and bechamel