{"id":277,"date":"2019-12-20T03:55:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T04:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/?p=277"},"modified":"2024-06-24T12:25:21","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T12:25:21","slug":"exploring-emilia-romagna-italy-in-7-bites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/20\/exploring-emilia-romagna-italy-in-7-bites\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Emilia-Romagna, Italy in 7 Bites"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are many great culinary centers around the world; spots made famous either entirely or in part for their rich food history. My favorite though is without hesitation the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Although not a place many Americans know about, they really should because it\u2019s from the towns, cities and farms spread across the area where some of Italy\u2019s, and the world\u2019s, most famous dishes and ingredients all got their start. The complete list of delicacies that hail from here would, and have, comprise an entire book so today I want to instead share some of my favorite bites, all of which are easy to try on your own trip through Emilia-Romagna. <\/p>\n

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Balsamic Vinegar<\/h2>\n

My most recent trip to the Emilia-Romagna region was mostly focused on the food culture and to start things off I spent the afternoon at a winery and producer of Balsamic vinegar, Venturini Baldini. Balsamic vinegar is characterized by a rich, dark brown hue and dense, syrupy texture and is produced in Modena and the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna. Producers must use the skin, seeds, stems, and juice of freshly pressed grapes from Lambrusco, Trebbiano, and other grape varietals grown around Modena. They cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens and changes to a dark brown color. The sugar transforms to alcohol but is not ready for consumption for at least 12 years, with the best balsamic aged between 30 and 50 years with a sweet, almost caramel aroma giving way to a balanced acidic flavor containing a light tartness. There are few things better than an expertly crafted Balsamic, which really is a treat in its own right.<\/p>\n

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Lambrusco<\/h2>\n

Italy is of course famous for its wines, but while in Emilia-Romagna I was surprised to discover something a little unusual \u2013 Lambrusco. An ancient grape varietal, it has been grown in the region since Roman times but it wasn\u2019t its age that surprised me, it\u2019s the fact that it\u2019s a sparkling red. I wasn\u2019t at all familiar with chilled sparkling red wines before my last trip to Emilia-Romagna, but I quickly realized why it\u2019s so popular. It\u2019s the ideal offset to the types of meals served in the towns and cities in this part of Italy and towards the end of my trip I too was a fan of an expertly produced Lambrusco wine.<\/p>\n

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Parmigiano Reggiano<\/h2>\n

The king of cheeses, you can\u2019t go far in Emilia-Romagna
\nwithout stumbling over this incredible bite, but for something a little extra
\nspecial I spent the morning with one of the producers of this hot commodity. Parmesan
\ncheese comes from the province of Parma. A distinguishing characteristic of the
\ncheese is a dark or light gold rind protecting the soft, velvety, or slightly
\ngrainy texture of the cheese. The taste should be savory and delicate.
\nParmesan\u2019s texture is fully dependent upon the aging period. Dairy farmers use
\npure cow\u2019s milk taken from two milkings on the same day, one of which is
\npartially skimmed. A traditional wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano reaches 18 inches
\nin width, nine inches in height, and nearly 90 pounds in weight. The cheese
\nages for up to three years, producing a very compact, grainy texture falling
\nunder the category of hard Italian cheeses, and once you tase the differences
\nbetween the ages you\u2019ll be hooked just like I was.<\/p>\n

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Culatello<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m a little embarrassed to admit this, but before my most
\nrecent trip I had never before heard of one of Italy\u2019s great culinary treasures
\n– culatello. As it turns out, I\u2019m not alone and this delicacy is routinely
\ncalled the best food no one has heard of. I spent the day with one of the great
\nproducers of this incredible ham but to describe it here really won\u2019t do it
\njustice. Culatello is a slowly cured boneless ham that is made from the best
\nmuscle of the pig\u2019s rump. It\u2019s aged in dark and somewhat moldy cellars until it
\nreaches perfection. Nearly impossible to find in the US, you really have to
\ntravel to Emilia-Romagna to try and appreciate this, the king of meats. Only
\nabout 30,000 culatello hams are produced each year, so while it may be a little
\npricey, it\u2019s well worth it to try what is the best slice of meat I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

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Pastas & Tortellini<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t go to Italy without trying pasta and, of course,
\nin Emilia-Romagna there are many endemic varieties. One of my favorites though
\nis the tortellini. Tortellini is delicate fresh pasta made from egg and flour
\ncommonly stuffed with meats, cheeses, or vegetables. Tortellini pasta was
\ncreated in Bologna and has become ubiquitous in regional cuisine across Italy
\nprepared in a variety of ways, from light tomato sauce to heartier sauces using
\ncream, or vegetables as the base. One of the most popular dishes in
\nEmilia-Romagna is Tortellini en Brodo, a comfort food consisting of fresh
\ntortellini in chicken broth.  <\/p>\n

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Erbazzone<\/h2>\n

This was another new to me regional delicacy and while I\u2019m
\nnot normally a fan of anything green, I found myself quickly going back for
\nseconds and thirds. Erbazzone has become a gastronomic legacy highlighting the
\nsavory flavors of spinach, chard, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and pancetta
\ncooked with butter and lard as a rustic country-style tart. The dish is baked
\nand traditionally served hot or warm to enjoy the golden, flaky pastry. The
\noriginal recipe was fried in pork lard until dark, but many recipes vary from
\ncustoms based on the heritage of family recipes. The dish is more common in the
\nReggio Emilia province in Emilia-Romagna and the provincial capital referred to
\nlocally as Reggio.<\/p>\n

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Sauces<\/h2>\n

Once again, I suppose I shouldn\u2019t have been surprised to
\nlearn that two of my favorite sauces \u2013 and two of the most popular in the world
\n\u2013 also hail from Bologna and surrounding communities. Bolognese sauce or rag\u00fa
\nis the rich, hearty sauce from Bologna consisting of beef, pork, dry white
\nwine, meat broth, tomato paste, and vegetables. The sauce traditionally
\naccompanies tagliatelle pasta but is also used to dress lasagna or polenta.
\nB\u00e9chamel is a thick white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk.  The sauce often serves as a base for other
\nrich and hearty cream sauces used in Emilia-Romagna dishes like lasagna,
\ngarganelli, and cannelloni.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s honestly very difficult to find a bad meal anywhere in Italy, but in Emilia-Romagna it\u2019s impossible. Long known as the stomach of Italy, many of the classic Italian dishes loved around the world all got their start in this quietly humble province; traditions that are still going strong in the 21st<\/sup> century. Even if you don\u2019t have a food themed trip, you\u2019ll soon learn as I did that any visit very quickly becomes a culinary pilgrimage. <\/p>\n

This trip is a project managed by iambassador<\/a> in partnership with Emilia-Romagna Tourism<\/a> LandLopers maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Exploring Emilia-Romagna, Italy in 7 Bites<\/a> appeared first on LandLopers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many great culinary centers around the world; spots made famous either entirely or in part for their rich food history. My favorite though […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions\/278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtveb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}