Travel Italy
Cured meats, cheeses, and piadina bread at Osteria Passatelli in Ravenna, Italy.
Feasting Like Royalty Along the Via Emilia Italy’s heartland region is where the good eating is By Channaly Philipp
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58 I N S I G H T December 24 – 30, 2021
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The thread of history runs through these foods, and savoring them locally anchors you firmly in the continuum of history. The mosaics of Ravenna, the one-time capital of the Western Roman Empire, glittering with gold, blues, and greens; the warm-hued porticoes of Bologna, which run over 25 miles; and the artistic legacy left here—where Verdi and Rossini composed, Dante finished “Paradiso” in his final days, and Fellini directed—are dizzying.
Foods that are known as iconically Italian all come from Emilia-Romagna. At the confluence of art and food, the traditional foodways were captured by the artisans of their time. Look closely: Etched into bas-reliefs of Romanesque masterpieces, or painted onto Renaissance frescoes, are depictions of the rhythm of humans’ passage on Earth, marked by the seasons and its milestones—the plowing of the fields, the
ALL PHOTOS BY CHANNALY PHILIPP/THE EPOCH TIMES
f g o od t h i ngs com e t o t ho se who wait, the good people of Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy, must have the patience of saints—they certainly feast like royalty. Foods that are known as iconically Italian—Parmigiano-Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto di Parma—all come from Emilia-Romagna. (So do Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati. Slow food and fast cars sure beat fast food and slow cars.) To turn raw ingredients like milk, grape must, or leg of pork into these delicious, iconic foods, give them time. Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma need at least one year to age. Traditional balsamic vinegar takes at least 12 years, although the really good stuff clocks in at a minimum of 25 years—a whole generation. The ancients knew about these foods: Etruscans and Romans cured salted pork legs in the same area where it’s done today; Benedictine monks made Parmigiano-Reggiano in medieval times; and barrels of traditional balsamic vinegar served as brides’ dowries.
