As Stanley Tucci showed the world, the foods of Emilia-Romagna are some of Italy's most exquisite. The production area myriad exported goods, the region plays host to a treasure trove of palate pleasers. Here are seven essential foods of Emilia Romagna to keep an eye out for on your next trip – or to seek out at home.
1. Mortadella Bologna
Among the most popular cured meats in Italy, the PGI-protected Mortadella Bologna has an enveloping and spicy flavor. It's a sausage cooked with lean pork cuts, mostly shoulder, throat, and fat, then flavored with salt, pepper, spices, and sometimes pistachios.
2. Parmigiano Reggiano
Nearly 4 million wheels of this Parmiggiano Reggiano are produced annually. A hard-paste cow's milk cheese originated in the Middle Ages in the Benedictine abbeys of Emilia, each wheel weighs between 66 and 88 pounds (30 and 40 kilos). Producing one requires 550 liters of milk. The regulations call for a minimum maturation of 12 months, lasting up to a few years.
3. Prosciutto di Parma
Prosciutto di Parma dates back to Roman times. In the second century BC, Cato the Elder wrote about the skilled production technique of the Parma artisans. It was practically identical to that of today, the only difference being that salt is now added as a preservative. A DOP product, the ham has a sweet and intense flavor. In the region, it's also worth trying in the rosa di Parma, or rose of Parma, a meat fillet that's been rolled with prosciutto, roasted and flavored with Parmigiano and Lambrusco. It's named for its rose-like shape.
4. Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Reggio Emilia
This PDO product is one of Italy's most exported. With production dating back to 1046, balsamic vinegar is made with cooked, acetified musts, and aged in barrels of different woods for about ten years – those labeled extra vecchio are aged up to 25. Dense, dark, and sweet, it packs tremendous flavor. A few drops are enough on meat and fish, but also cheeses, fruit, desserts, and even cocktails.
5. Borgotaro Mushroom
The trade for harvesting local porcini mushrooms is mentioned in documents dating back to the 17th century. Today, they have PGI protection. They grow in the woods of the Apennines within the province of Parma. The specification identifies four types: Boletus edulis, Boletus pinophilus,
the Boletus aestivalis and the Boletus aereus. They are excellent both cooked and raw and can also be preserved in oil.
6. Zampone and Cotechino di Modena
Still packaged according to a recipe from 1511, both of these products are made with lean pork meat and fat, then minced and combined with finely chopped pork rind and then seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, cloves, or other ingredients, depending on the pork butcher. What distinguishes them is the casing: the zampone is stuffed into the front leg of the pig, the cotechino is packed into the intestine.
7. Culatello di Zibello
A PDO salami from the province of Parma, Culatello di Zibello is obtained from the finest part of the pork leg. They're salted and left to mature for at least ten months in the countries of the Bassa. It's first mentioned in 1735, but it's believed to have been on the tables of the nobility as early as the 14th century. Sweet and fragrant, culatello is is more delicate than prosciutto crudo.
