The Cooking of Parma

The province of Parma makes up the western half of Emilia-Romagna, the only region Italians from other places concede has food as good as their own. With its sophisticated city cuisine and the simpler, heartier fare from Val Taro in the heart of the Apennines, Parma offers a deep and varied cooking style. World famous for two glorious products - prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - Parma also boasts rice and corn which are turned into endless dishes of risotto and polenta; wild mushrooms, celebrated both fresh and dried; a rich bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables; and superior meats, poultry, game, and freshwater fish.
The area is known for countless culinary achievements such as its delicate filled pastas; savory vegetable tortas; unique minestre, which in Parma are nearly as thick as stews; and bollito misto, the renowned boiled dinner and its traditional condiments that can be traced back to the Etruscans.

Italy's Parma region has given the world prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, two products that alone bestow culinary renown. As part of the larger province of Emilia-Romagna, Parma stands at the very summit of Italian cookery. Torta, typical of the region's specialties, makes a savory antipasto. This simple pastry dough may be filled with just about anything, but spinach or potatoes garner greatest favor. Risottos and pasta dishes make great starters to set off the region's meats and game produce. Desserts include recipes for ice creams and sherbets, which are not easy to reproduce without the proper hardware at hand. Sidoli keeps his recipes unpretentious, relying for success on the caliber of the fundamental ingredients. Recipe instructions are straightforward, but illustrations of techniques would better serve a novice who may not fully comprehend the finished product. An appendix lists sample menus, a real boon to the beginner. Mark Knoblauch