La Cucina Dell'Emilia Romagna

If Campania is the source of many of the dishes we consider to be Italian, pizza for example, Emilia Romagna is the source of many of the ingredients, including Parmigiano, Prosciutto, Bologna (known as Mortadella di Bologna in Italy), Lambrusco, Aceto Balsamico, and even flat pasta. Indeed, though southerners are known for their dried pasta, Italians consider Emiliani to be the masters at making fresh pasta, the sheets that become tagliatelle, lasagna (seasoned with sugo alla Bolognese in winter), and some of the most classic stuffed pastas, including tortellini and cappelletti.

In addition to Prosciutto (salt-cured ham, from Parma, Modena, and other parts of Emilia, the western half of the Region), Emilia Romagna's hogs provide the meat for a prized salami from the town of Felino, zampone and cotechino, winter sausages from Modena, and culatello, a rump muscle cured in the mists along the banks of the Po river. And the cattle are second to none, providing the milk necessary for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and superb meat; veal Parmesan is just the beginning.

The landscape flattens and the wetlands increase; Ferrara is famed for feathered game and fresh water fish, and rice cookery as well, while the towns along the Adriatic coast are known for both their seafood, in particular brodetto, a fish stew, and their nightlife.

Romagna is also known for piadine, flat peasant breads street vendors will fill with all sorts of savory combinations; if you visit by all means try one.