Food and Wine
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano topped with aceto balsamico di Modena in Modena
Emilia-Romagna is one of the greatest regions for food in Italy, and I know ‘them’s fighting words’, in a country with a formidable culinary heritage from north to south, but there is just so much goodness here! Some of the charming towns tout local products in their names, a nod to their origins. Read: (prosciutto di) Parma and (aceto balsamico di) Modena. The region is a haven for quality local cuisine as it has earned the sobriquet ‘breadbasket of Italy’. Other regional products include Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Mortadella, in addition to the aforementioned Prosciutto di Parma. The abundance of popular cured meats and cheeses that originate from Emilia-Romangna is why the aperitivo reigns. A giant tagliere di salumi e formaggi (charcuterie board with meats and cheeses) never disappoints. The fruits and vegetables are also fresh and delicious in this region (as in most of Italy, I must say); however, the pastas offer a unique richness, so get ready to be full.
First, the famous so-called ‘bolognese’ is more accurately called tagliatelle al ragu, and this is how you should order it, and definitely do! The long flat tagliatelle (egg pasta to be specific) is dressed with a sacred ragu sauce. I say sacred because in 1982 the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cuisine) registered an official recipe. Read more about the history and try your hand at an 'authentic' version of the recipe. Best practice for creating the perfect ragu is still an active debate amongst aficionados, which is why I put ‘authentic’ in quotation marks. For example, should one add in red wine or white white? These are small scruples, however, and there are much bigger problems to address with many ‘bolognese’ recipes outside of Italy!
My dad with delicious fresh regional pastas ‘in padella’ (in the pan)
The tortellini is probably the next most famous pasta shape from this region, and it is dressed in a variety of ways. Tortellini in brodo is also famously from the city of Bologna, but you will find it around the region. In this classic, the plump tortellini float in a savory broth. You will find fresh tortelloni (without the diminutive ‘ini’, the ‘oni’ denotes a bigger size of the similarly shaped pasta) stuffed with ricotta, spinach among other meats, greens and cheeses, often covered in panna (cream).
More regional pasta types on display.
Homemade Tortellini in brodo prepared by a friend from the region of Emilia-Romagna, specifically, the city of Ferrara (one of my regional features).
While in Emilia-Romagna, you might also come across a very similarly shaped, stuffed pasta called Cappalletti (little hats). In Ferrara, the Cappalletti which are also called Cappellacci (for more confusion) are traditionally stuffed with pumpkin, and they are divine. Find out where to try some of the best in the regional features post featuring Ferrara.
Advertising fresh ‘Tigelle’ (to cook) and ‘Gnocco’ (to fry) in one of the shops just nearby the historical Mercato Albinelli in Modena
Pictured in the cover photo is the ‘gnocco fritto’, a type of deep fried bread. You will find them all over the region as a street food, for an antipasto, and on charcuterie boards. Another bread variety are the tigelle, which resemble more of a flatbread. Both popular bread varieties are served with the glorious cured meats and cheeses.
One of the most popular types of panino (sandwich) is from this region and it is called a piadina, often a Piadina Romagnola or sometimes a Piada Romagnola. It resembles a pocket flatbread traditionally stuffed with prosciutto di parma, cheese, peppery arugula and tomato.
The popular dessert called Zuppa Inglese also hails from this region. The name of this dolce has always tickled me, ‘English soup’ hehe. It is layered custard and spongecake, somewhat similar to the omnipresent Tiramisu. The eminent 3 Michelin Star Chef from Modena, Massimo Bottura, presented a twist on the Zuppa Inglese (using it to make a Carbonara ice cream cone). Read more in the 2022 Regional Features Update Post.
Wine
A delicious Lambrusco, the Grasparossa di Castelvetro type
Lambrusco is the most famous wine from the region; a lightly sparkling red wine (although there are vastly different varieties, to be expanded on later in this post), it is a must try while in the region. Lambrusco, like Chianti, might have some less savory associations due to the ‘wine boom’ when a lot of it was produced cheaply. In Italy today, good quality Lambruscos are quite well distributed and well respected, however. You will find them in particular abundance here in Emilia-Romagna, their region of origin. There is great variety in the sweetness although most are described as fruit forward. Of course wine appreciation is dependent on taste, but the great Lambruscos I have tried maintain discernible fruit without being described as ‘sweet’. I am not a fan of all Italian red wines, especially very full bodied types, but I love Lambrusco. There is quite a bit of conflicting information available on the internet regarding the number of DOC designated Lambruscos are out there. According to The Spruce Eats, although there are over 60 known varieties of the grape, “the wine has four protected DOC regions in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy and one just north in the Lombardy region.” I have loved some of the DOC Lambrusco di Sorbara varieties I have tried. Many natural wine producers in the region also make Lambrusco using biodynamic methods. TerreVive, for example, has a delicious Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce. Another source (Wikipedia to be transparent) claims there are 8 DOC granted types of Lambrusco, namely, Colli di Parma Lambrusco, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Reggiano Lambrusco, Colli di Scandiano e Canossa Lambrusco, Modena Lambrusco, and Lambrusco Mantovano. This means that to be classified as ‘DOC’ in one of the categories the wines must meet certain requirements. For example, according to Food&Wine Magazine, a “Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC is crafted from the variety of the same name [Sorbara], with up to 40% Salamino grapes.” New DOCs can be added frequently, so in this case, Wikipedia might not be the worst source as it can be updated more frequently. I would like to have the number of DOCs confirmed more decisively.
A selection of Lambrusco used in a ‘blind taste test’ hosted by my friend from the Emilia/Romagna region. Some conventional and some natural, we wanted to delve into this under appreciated varietal.
As mentioned above, there is much variety in Lambrusco production today, and the vast majority of them are not sweet and cheap. Grab a Lambrusco Grasparossa for a dark purple, almost inky, looking color with more tannin. The aforementioned Lambrusco di Sorbara is lightly colored, appearing ‘rose’ more than ‘rosso’ (red) with crisp acidity. As explained in this article published on Wine Enthusiast, these lambruscos can be very sophisticated. Seek one out and give it a try! Let me know what you think.