Traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena

The traditional balsamic vinegar of modena (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena Dop) is an aged vinegar produced through the sugar and acetic fermentation of cooked must obtained from the grapes produced in the province of Modena. There are only a little more than a hundred producers today. The vinegar has a deep and bright, dark brown colour, a characteristic and penetrating aroma, and a sweetand- sour taste.

Traditional balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia

The traditional balsamic vinegar of reggio emilia It is a high quality product, the result of the sugar and acetic fermentation of cooked must obtained from the grapes produced in the province of Reggio Emilia, aged for at least 12 years in small barrels under particular climate conditions. The vinegar has a deep and bright, dark brown colour, a penetrating, lingering and fragrant bouquet with pleasant acidity and a nice sweet-and-sour taste.

Coppa Piacentina

The coppa piacentina is a type of salted and cured pork meat, cylindrical in shape and compact. When cut, the inside is red with small white-pink specks of fat. It can be eaten alone as appetizer or second course. Coppa Piacentina Dop is produced in the province of Piacenza.

The king culatello

The undisputed ‘King of cured meat’, Culatello di Zibello, with its characteristic pear-like shape, belongs to the norcinian tradition of the province of Parma, where it is produced from the flat area known as the Bassa up to the piedmont area. The main centre of production is located in the town of Zibello, near the Po River, although Culatello is also produced in the municipalities of Busseto, Roccabianca, Polesine Parmense, and San Secondo.

Grana Padano

Grana padano is a medium fat hard cheese made from cow’s milk using veal rennet for coagulation and lactic bacteria for fermentation. The natural maturation process is carried out by storing the product at a temperature between 15 and 22 °C. In 1996, Grana Padano obtained the Dop label (Protected Designation of Origin), which attests to the high quality standard of every production phase.

Pancetta Piacentina

In the production of the Pancetta piacentina, the salting process consists in passing the pork meat through a mixture of salts and natural spices and leting it in the refrigerator for 15 days. Then, the meat is dried at a maximum temperature of 25 degrees and allowed to mature for at least two months. The finished product is cylindrical in shape and weighs between 5 and 8 kilos. It has a red colour with white specks of fat.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano reggiano, probably the best-known and most appreciated Italian cheese in the world for its peculiarities, has got very ancient origins. The long natural maturation is one of the characteristics protected by its Consortium and certified by the unmistakable ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ inscription in dots, engraved all over the rind of each wheel of cheese. It is excellent eaten alone. Its production area includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantova.

Prosciutto of Modena

The prosciutto di modena dop is a lively red ham with a mild and delicate aroma, and a sweet and intense flavour. Its pear-like shape is obtained by trimming the fat in excess and by removing the external layer of fat and a part of the pork rind. The brand is protected by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Modena, a consortium with a twenty-year long experience, 32 associated members, over 300 employees and a production capacity of 2.5 million hams.

Salame Piacentino

The salame piacentino is made from salt and cured pork lean meat to which a small quantity of fat is added. When cut, the inside has a lively red colour. The aroma is typical, sweet and characteristic. It can be eaten as appetiser with a glass of one of the Colli Piacentini Doc wines or it can be used as an ingredient in the typical local cuisine. Salame Piacentino Dop is produced in the territory of the province of Piacenza.

Salamini Italiani alla Cacciatora

Although this product comes from the hilly area of Lombardy, its tradition has extended to all Northern Italy. This type of salami is made from pork lean meat, is small in size with a maximum weight of 500 grams, cylindrical, compact and homogeneous. It is ruby red in colour and speckled with minute and uniform grains of fat. Its taste is sweet and very delicate.

Parma Ham

The parma ham, a source of pride for Italy which exports it all over the world, is renowned for its aroma, flavour, high nutrition value and digestibility. Its characteristic sweet taste derives from the perfect balance between fat and lean parts of the legs. Today, Parma ham producers and the whole supplychain have to comply with rigorous specifications set by the Consortium.

Provolone Valpadana

The provolone valpadana is a type of cheese produced mainly in Northern Italy, although its origin is linked to the ‘kneaded paste cheese’ dairy art typical of Southern Italy. There are two main varieties of Provolone Valpadana: ‘sweet Provolone’, made using veal rennet and allowed to mature for a period that can vary from one to three months, and the ‘spicy Provolone’, made using kid and lamb rennet and allowed to mature for more than three months.

The green asparagus of Altedo

The green asparagus of Altedo, tender with a delicate flavour, is really appreciated by gourmets and consumers; in fact it is the most demanded in Italy and all over Europe. The production area, between the via Emilia in the province of Bologna, the Adriatic coast and the Po River area in the province of Ferrara, includes several municipalities belonging to the two provinces.

Coppa ferrarese

It is the typical bread of Ferrara, with the traditional shape of “couple” or “ciupèta”, made of a central part or knot from which two ribbons or curnit divide. The production area of this Igp includes the whole province of Ferrara and the label is awarded only to the bread made of soft wheat flour of “0” type, water, pure pork lard, extra virgin olive oil, leaven, salt, and malt.

Cotechino of Modena

According to tradition, cotechino was first produced during the siege of 1551 in Mirandola (the same siege during which another similar product was invented, the zampone), when the inhabitants started making sausages of pork meat using the pigskin to preserve it for a longer period. The cotechino, traditionally cooked for winter dinners, is made of a dough of lean meat, fat and pigskin, each ingredient representing about 1/3 of the recipe.

Porcino mushroom of Borgotaro

The porcino mushroom of Borgotaro, awarded with the Igp label in 1993 and protected by the homonymous Consortium, is a natural product that grows in the woods of the Taro Valley and is harvested in autumn. This mushroom has a colour varying from white-hazel to brown according to the variety and differs from the other porcino mushrooms for its strong aroma, its sweet and delicate flavour and its particular tenderness. It is used both fresh and dried.

Mortadella of Bologna

The Mortadella, the queen of salami, has very ancient origins. In the 14th century its recipe was codified by the Corporazione dei Salsamentari of Bologna (the association of delicatessen sellers), made of selected pork meats, mysterious and secret ‘seasoning’ and very complicated cooking systems. On average, a mortadella weights approximately 30/40 kg (the typical cigar or torpedo that has been sold for decades in delicatessen shops).

Pear of Emilia Romagna

The production area of the pear of Emilia Romagna includes specific areas of 91 municipalities in the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Modena, Ferrara, Bologna, and Ravenna, characterised by medium and hard soils. The flavour is sweet or aromatic and the weight varies from the 158 grams of the conference variety to the 260 grams of the abate fetel. The production of pears in Emilia Romagna is strictly ruled by product specifications.

White bullock of Central Apennines

The Igp label awarded to the white bullock of Central Apennines is reserved to the meats produced from male and female bovines of pure Chianina, Marchigiana and Romagnola breeds, with an age ranging from 12 to 24 months. The bullocks must be fed naturally by their mothers until weaning. It is common in the provinces of Rimini, Forlì- Cesena, Bologna, Ravenna, and Pesaro-Urbino.

Zampone of Modena

The zampone is a wise mix of pigskin and pork fat parts, seasoned with aromas and made into a sausage in the typical empty trotter. The zampone is sold fresh, after drying in a stove, and precooked. It is typically matched with mashed potatoes, lentils or green beans, and it is generally cooked during Christmas holidays.