Traditions in Regional Italian Food Culture

Emilia-Romagna
By Chris De Santis
photos by Chris De Santis

I think my wife Mary’s final decision about never driving with me in Italy again was finalized on our visit to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, the city of Bologna to be exact. After a nerve-racking, white-knuckle three days driving in Florence we left Tuscany for our visit to Emila-Romagna. Following a 1-hour delay caused by an accident in a tunnel through the Apennine Mountains, and driving in circles trying to find a hotel in Bologna the decision was sealed – “Next time we take the train.”

But having a car allowed us to visit the premier culinary cities of Emilia-Romagna – Bologna, Parma, Reggio and Modena.

Emilia-Romagna is considered one of the culinary giants in the world of regional Italian food culture. The region is divided into the provinces of Emilia, the western portion of the region bordering Lombardia, and Romagna east to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city of Bologna, a gastronomical wonderland, sits in the “land of plenty” along the southern portion of the Po Valley. Emilia to the west and Romagna to the east argue their culinary differences, but together define some of the most treasured culinary traditions in all of Italy.

In Emilia-Romagna the long list of culinary jewels is topped by pasta, made with fresh eggs. The primo pasta is tagliatelle, long thin ribbon pasta, con ragu. In Bologna cooks consider this meat sauce, ragu Bolognese, personal works of art. This slow-simmered sauce that combines ground beef, pork and sometimes veal is one of the most traditional recipes of the region. Of course I had to order tagliatelle con ragu for our first meal in Bologna to compare it to my own recipe.

After tagliatelle on the list of the region’s pasta comes filled pasta. There are arguments between the chefs of Bologna and Modena as to the origin of tortellini, traditionally meat filled and said to be modeled after Venus’s navel. The city of Parma’s traditional stuffed pasta are large filled squares called tortelli and round anolini, which are served in broth for the holiday season. The traditional fillings range from meat, beef and veal, to cheese and vegetables, especially squash. The traditional fillings and accompanying sauces of Emilia’s cappellacci (big hats) and cappelletti (little hats) differ slightly from pasta with the same names in Romagna. Each table throughout the region is graced with its own cultural traditions.

Just as the variety of pasta varies from city to city throughout the region, the unbelievable variety of antipasti is mind-boggling.

On our way to dinner our first night in Bologna, it’s hard to adjust to restaurants opening at 8 PM, when we are ready to eat at 6 Mary and I decide to stop at a small taverna when we walk past and gaze into the window to see the array of complementary antipasti in the window. Over a couple of glasses of a big red house wine we are invited to help ourselves to the antipasti. The table is filled with a virtual litany of antipasti. We spend the next hour researching the flavors of the dishes to develop our own recipes based on our taste buds – radicchio and arugula salad with a light lemon dressing, tuna stuffed tomatoes, stuffed roasted peppers, ceci beans with celery and balsamic vinegar, cannellini beans with extra virgin olive oil, Parma cotta ham (cooked prosciutto) with thin strips of parmigiano reggiano, riso con verdure (rice and grilled vegetables), cold fusilli pasta with an anchovy sauce, mortadella, salumi, fried potatoes and frittata. Of course we just sample a taste of each because as I usually put it, “we can ‘kill ourselves’ on the antipasti.”

From Bologna the culinary journey through the region begins as we drive northwest to our first destination, the city of Modena, the name you’ll find on any bottle of traditional Italian Balsamic Vinegar. Before we leave Bologna we speak to the hotel desk clerk about visiting an Aceteria to see the production of aceto balsamico. She happens to know of a place with an “attached” restaurante, and is kind enough to call for us to see if we can take a tour of the production facilities. The owner, Mr Malpighi, tells her that he is giving a tour to some of his guests and that we can certainly join them.

Traditionally Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is made from white Trebbiano grapes. The vinegar is made from the cooked grape “must” that matures through natural fermentation. The process continues by aging in a series of casks, large to small, made from different types of wood with no added flavoring. The color becomes dark brown with a very distinct scent of acidity.

I am told by Mr. Malpighi that as a wedding present, a small barrel of vinegar is given to the newlyweds as a “starter” for their own individual aceto balsamico production.

Our journey continues to the city of Reggio nell’ Emilia the home of parmigiano reggiano. As we weave in and out of the side streets of Reggio past small grogheria (grocery stores) and tavernas we see huge wheels, nearly two feet in diameter, of the famed aged cheese.

From ancient Roman texts we learn that the same production techniques are being used today. Tilled fields in the rich Po Valley are sowed with clover and lucerne (alfalfa) to feed the cows that produce the milk to create this wonderfully savory cheese.

The quality of the cheese is a balance of feed, milk, age-old artisan production methods, the natural aging process, and the absence of preservatives, additives or coloring agents. The process is strictly monitored by the Italian Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano, which was established in 1934.

I think it’s time to sample the cheese along with a few slices of Parma prosciutto. The city of Parma’s famous dry-cured meat is made from either a pig's or a wild boar's ham (hind leg or thigh). The air-curing process averages anywhere from nine months to a year depending on the size of the ham.

We decide to travel a few kilometers from Reggio to Parma where we park on a little side street and walk to a corner store with small tables in the courtyard and prosciuttos hanging in the window. “Potere abbiamo un piatto di prosciutto e parmigiano di reggiano per favore. Ed un litro del lambrusco locale.” May we try a plate of parmigiano reggiano and prosciutto please? And a liter of the local lambrusco.

Thoroughly satisfied that we have sampled the culinary traditions of the region of Emilia-Romagna we drive west to the coast of the Adriatic Sea and south to the region of Marche.

Until next time, ciao.

Copyright © 2012, Chris De Santis. All Rights Reserved