By a stroke of luck I ended up in Emilia-Romagna, an Eden of fine cuisine and salty ingredients. I had been living in France for almost a decade and, although the food captivated me, each trip to Italy asked for another. Growing up in the United States, he had an idea of Italy as a European state, but now he was discovering its infinite provincial diversity. The nation has millennia of history, but it has only been a unified country since 1861. Twenty individual regions weave a multi-colored mosaic of provinces, cities, and towns: past kingdoms and feudal states.
In 2000 I got a job as a tour guide in a company based in Forlì. I have no idea where that was. I lifted my world atlas on the kitchen table and flipped through the index: F … For … Forlì. Italy sculpts more of a leg than a boot on the map. Forlì is located in Emilia-Romagna: a wide expanse that runs along your thigh like a garter. The region takes its name from the Via Aemilia, the 160-mile ancient Roman road that stretches east, straight like a tightrope from Piacenza to the Adriatic Sea.
The Apennines, the mountainous backbone of Italy, arch east and then south from the Mediterranean Sea to form the lower border of the territory. Sloping vineyards and gentle grassy slopes soften the north in orderly orchards. Kiwi plots populate the plain of the Po River. Renaissance towers, medieval ruins and cypress spiers crown rolling hills. And wavy gratings of silver olive trees adorn the slopes.
Emilia-Romagna’s cultural heritage encompasses the cathedral with mighty arches in Parma, the leaning brick towers of Bologna, and the 6th-century mosaics in Ravenna; once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Pellegrino Artusi, the father of Italian cuisine, grew up in Forlimpopoli.
But Emilia and Romagna are one on paper. In the 8th century, the Frankish King Pippin III pawned the troubled southeastern regions of the papacy. As twins separated at birth, they matured into individual characters. Romagnoli they are “peasant farmers who raise chickens,” say the “conceited, know-it-all” Emiliani.
THE NOBLE EMILIA
Emilia thrived under centuries of wealthy and highborn families who maintained their prestige through lavish banquets. Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, Parma prosciutto and cookie – an opulent plate of boiled meats – all come from the region. Also the mortadella sausage, even if he only knew his poor American cousin: nonsense. In 1088, the oldest university in Europe opened in Bologna la Grassa (Fat Bologna) – also the culinary capital of Italy. Parmesan cheese in preparation
Luckily for me, it’s also the cradle of handmade pasta – the centerpiece of weekly family gatherings. On Sunday mornings, Emiliana’s grandmothers put piles of flour on their table-size cutting boards. Mixing only eggs, they knead it into sticky yellow balls. With meter long rollers, they flatten this sfoglia thin enough to see the wood grain of the board. From the far end, they roll the immense blade into a tube, take a wide, flat-bladed knife, and cut quarter-inch rounds. As the spirals unfold, classic noodles arise. The rough texture of the noodles will absorb a rich ragout of simmered ground meats, tomato sauce, red wine and chopped aromatic vegetables.
Local wines often shine to combat such a rich meal – the bubbles and acidity cut through the fat. Lambrusco made the area famous in the ’80s with “Riunite on ice, how beautiful.” The natives call the sweetest version, “the wine soda,” but the dry, sparkling red pairs well with lasagna and meat-heavy dishes. Malvasia and Barbera also produce refreshing beverages, often with sparkling sparkling heads.
RUSTIC ROMAGNA
Romagna looks south to Rome, from where it takes its name, and to the Vatican. Subjected to the rule of the church, Romagna maintained a simple and frugal character. Under the warm Mediterranean sun, it evolved around seafood, rural gardens, grilled meats, and flatbread without yeast. While cream and butter flood Emilia, Romagna cooks with her own olive oil.
Here, your fresh pasta can be eggless, like twisted strozzapreti, also known as “strangle-the-priest”. Since housewives had more to do for the church, the many stories behind the name end badly for the clergyman. In a vivid version, the cook imagines twisting her neck as she twirls pieces of flat pasta between her palms. Brisighella in Romagna
I remember my first passatelli in brodo. For generations, winter brings fierce competition to the mountain village of Rocca San Casciano; rivalry within cities is also strong. the annual Festa del Falo divide the community in two rioni (neighborhoods): Mercato vs Borgo. Like the world famous Siena Pallium horse race, the townspeople give themselves 100% to prepare the weekend celebration. It takes months to organize the food, the parades and the phallus: two skyscraper bonfires challenging each other across a glacial stream.
The men invited me to help out on some winter weekends. We collect trucks loaded with broom bushes to erect the towers. Chainsaws buzzed as we splashed through the frozen mud up snowy hills. For hours, we collected branch after branch, the boys hanging out with exaggerated stories of what they did the night before. Finally, at noon, we head into town for lunch. The villagers had made Passatelli: Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs squeezed into thick golden noodles. More than a dozen of them floated in meat broth, the liquid left over from our bun: the next dish. We ate from plastic bowls at makeshift tables, but the simmering soup was more welcome than a gourmet meal.
We water the meat with Sangiovese. This grape produces some of the best wines in the country: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, to name a few. Its origins lie somewhere in the Apennines, and Romagna’s best bottles rival those of its more famous Tuscan neighbor. But most locals drink simple concoctions, which are served in carafes during lunch for a few euros.
The great diversity of Italy impresses me more at this more rustic level. Centuries of competition keep traditions alive. The history, the rivalry and the landscape are revealed in the people and at the table. Emilia’s open stretches and rich history result in sumptuous meats and cheeses. The rustic character of Romagna gives it stronger flavors and a smell of the sea. Is it the rivalry that keeps them so unique and so delicious?