You cannot think of Italy and not think of food or gastronomy. If you can, something must be wrong 🙂 as this country just breathes food! What disturbs me sometimes is that people think you can only eat pasta and pizza in Italy, but this country has so much more to offer. Every region in Italy has different specialties. Picking out the best would be impossible, but there are a few that just have to be on your ‘to do’ list:

Emilia Romagna

My mouth is already watering just by thinking of this Region. For the non-food part, this region is famous because of Ferrari, Pavarotti, Giuseppe Verdi and for some of its cities like Modena, Parma or the University City Bologna (Also Rimini, but I’m not really in to that city). But when it comes to food, Emilia Romagna is actually known as the stomach of Italy.

Why? Very simple, this region has so many wonderful gastronomical products! Just think of the balsamic vinegar  from Modena, or the Parmigiano Reggiano, or some of the famous meat products like Parma’s culatello or regular Parma ham and let’s not forget the mortadella the list goes on and on. You can maybe visit the museums of the taste (you could also see it is a big factory visit), this way you get to know all the regional products.

Just  try to picture yourself sitting outside on a sunny day under a pergola  and right in front of you, you have a plate full of Parma ham, Mortadella, salami, some bread and some  local table wine … I would be heaven, wouldn’t you? Or maybe some strawberries with some aged balsamic vinegar might tickle your taste buds…

When you come to this region, you should be eating a few of the following dishes:

• Lasagna Verdi (Green Lasagna) I love!!!
• Cinnamon Flavoured Sweet Strozzapreti
• Cappellacci with Ricotta Cheese
• Salama da sugo” of Ferrara
• Liver of an Adult Lamb with Balsamic Vinegar
• Rice Cake
• Zabaglione
• Etc….

When it comes to wine, this region is less special (for me); the more famous local wines are the sparkling Lambrusco and the Trebbiano, but this region is not really known for its wines…

You can find more info on Emilia Romagna on following website

Piedmont

I don’t think this region needs an introduction, because I’m sure you’ve all read my previous posts about this region. When visiting I’m sure you’ll be taking a wonderful gastronomical trip, with some of the best products available like White Truffles, Barolo wine, etc… Ok, these two might not be the cheapest, but when you are in this region, you just have to try them (if not here, I’m not sure where you should be trying them).

Another very big trademark from this region is chocolate, as one of THE most famous chocolate companies in the world is from this region, Ferrero (I couldn’t live without Nutella!!).

You can see that this region is close to the French boarder, lots of dishes have a French touch…

Which dishes you should really try when visiting this region:

• Vitello Tonnato,
• Agnolotti,
• Tajarin al tartufo,
• steak tartare (piemonte style), (aka Carne All Albese)
• Insalata Russa
• Brassato
• Etc….

Wine if definitely one of THE most important products of this region and also one of my favorites (together with the Valpolicella wines from around Verona).  I know that Barolo might sometimes be expensive, but this region has lots of alternatives wines that are as majestic as the Barolo. Wines like Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto and for the sparkling wine lovers with a sweet tooth you also have the Moscato d’Asti. One of my preferred vineyards near Alba is without any doubt Batasiolo

For more information I would like to refer you to one of my previous blog posts about Torino or 2 of the other posts: 1 or 2

Tomorrow more of my favorite food regions…