Piacenza

Piacenza (Piasëinsa in the Piacentine dialect) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, of approximately 104,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza.

Food

Among the culinary specialties of the Piacenza region (although also enjoyed in nearby Cremona) is mostarda di frutta, consisting of preserved fruits in a sugary syrup strongly flavored with mustard. Turtlìt (tortelli dolci in standard Italian), or fruit dumplings, are filled with mostarda di frutta, mashed chestnuts, and other ingredients, and are served at Easter. Turtlìt are also popular in the Ferrara area. Turtéi, a similarly named Piacentine specialty, is a kind of pasta filled with ricotta cheese.

Related Topics:
Cremona - Chestnut - Ferrara - Ricotta

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Even more famous are chisolini (torta fritta in Standard Italian); they are made with flour, milk and animal fats mixed together and then fried in hot strutto (clarified pork fat); and pisarei e fasö (an exquisite mixture of pasta and beans).

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Piacentine staple foods include corn (generally cooked as polenta) and rice (usually cooked as risotto). Pasta is also eaten, though it is not as popular as in southern Italy. There are also locally produced cheeses, though nearby Parma is more famous for its dairy products.

Related Topics:
Polenta - Risotto

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