When you think of Romagna, it is natural to think of good food, of simple, authentic and very tasty recipes, starting with the piadina or, better still, the piada, queen of our table, both as the main protagonist, stuffed in all sorts of ways, and as an accompaniment, because it goes well with everything.
It seems easy to say piada….but depending on where you are, you will find it thinner or thicker, smaller or wider, even within a few kilometres… The one in Rimini is a bit bigger and thinner, but, although the ingredients are very few and simple, it is different in every house! The piadina romagnola is certified IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) and there is also a consortium that promotes and protects it.
Along with it in Rimini homes and restaurants, one of the most typical things is the very traditional puff pastry or egg pasta, prepared by the azdora, which in dialect corresponds more or less to a mix between hostess and absolute queen of the kitchen. The pasta is used to make tagliatelle, mostly seasoned with meat sauce (ragù), lasagne, tagliolini, often with clams, ravioli filled with herbs and cheese….. Then there are the ever-present passatelli and strozzapreti, and, especially when it is feast time, cappelletti in broth.
Moving on to the main courses, we obviously have the fish dishes, with the catch of the Adriatic cooked on the grill, baked, fried or in brodetto, while meat is well represented by the spit-roasted cockerel, the mora romagnola cold cuts, and the rabbit in porchetta.
In closing, there is unfailingly the dessert, which varies according to the time of year.
The piada dei morti is only made between October and November, the fiocchetti and castagnole at Carnival, the pagnotta at Easter, then there are the cantarelle and the bustrengo, ancient sweets linked to tradition. Very popular at the end of a meal are zuppa inglese and the classic ciambella, while at breakfast what could be better than a nice cream bombolone?
