You’ll see this traditional flatbread all over Romagna, the eastern half of the central Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It’s sold from small street stalls everywhere and accompanies most restaurant meals. I was taught to make Piadina Romagnola by a local lady at Casa Artusi, a cooking school dedicated to the work of Italy’s most famous gastronome Pellegrino Artusi. Piadina is traditionally baked on a shallow terracotta griddle called a teggia (or teglie) and its origins are ancient, at least back to Etruscan times. Despite its simplicity, every town (indeed every family) makes piadina a little differently, for example in Rimini it’s thinner and in Cesena it’s thicker. In Rimini, Forlì Cesena, Ravenna and part of Bologna, Piadina Romagnola has IGP accreditation (PGI in English, protected geographical indication). It’s served quartered with salumi and cheese (typically squacquerone and prosciutto) or as a wrap, often with a little rocket and tomato. Stuffed with fillings like spinach or watercress and cheese then baked like a calzone, it becomes crescione. Sweet piadinas are filled with jam, honey or Nutella. I love Piadina Romagnola with stracciatella, fig and balsamic vinegar – and also with a glass of Soave from neighbouring Veneto, like the Pieropan Soave Classico.
Makes 2
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