Filed under: Grassroots Gourmet: Abroad | Tags: parma italy, parmasean cuisine, parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto, Travel, typical italian cuisine, winter food
As I sit in my apartment, staring out my huge Romantic era glass windows, I am sheltered by the absolute freezing cold that lurks outside. To be fair my California blood has a much lower cold threshold than other parts of the world, but nevertheless…37 degrees is cold.
Each region in Italy has its own typical cuisine, based upon available products and cultural history. Sometimes these cuisines can vary greatly even between bordering cities. NOW, while regional specialties of Parma have become sentimental favorites, they can tend to become a little repetitive and heavy, as every restaurant in this city seems to feature these specialties on their menu.
Some examples of typical Parma foods:
- Torta Fritta con Salumi: A fried dough pocket typically eaten together with prosciutto and parmasean cheese. This is such a prized specialty here in Parma that many restaurants even advertise it as some sort of celebration. This is eaten more typically in the summer but it can be found year-round.
Torta Fritta
- Tortelli d’Erbetta/Zucca: Tortelli, a stuffed pasta similar to ravioli, is a family favorite here in Parma. The most typical fillings to find in this area are Erbetta: herb and Zucca: pumpkin. The herb variety is usually mixed with ricotta while the Zucca is usually just a puree. The Zucca ones are so sweet they sometimes are served with crushed Amaretti cookies as a garnish, though these are a littttle too much on the sweet side for me. They are served with a butter sauce and fresh grated Parmagiano cheese
Tortelli d'Erbetta doust in butter and cheese...mmmm cardiac arrest
Cappelletti in Brodo: A very typical winter dish. Cappelletti, meaning little hats in Italian, are small refilled pasta that can look something like what Americans think to be tortelini. They are usually stuffed with ham, cooked to Al-Dente in chicken broth, and served like a soup with grated parmigiano cheese.
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Cappelletti in Brodo
- As the weather gets colder, heavier the meals get, and subsequently the heavier I get…. as you can see I might be making a weight-loss New Years resolution this year…
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mmm.. classic carbolicious italian food (first one looks great though)
also no worries cause it’s freezing here in southern california too. no escape from winter.
Comment by tmo December 7, 2009 @ 8:35 pm