The culinary capital of Europe undoubtedly is Italy. The French and Spanish may argue that point but the effort would be in vain. The British and the Germans would certainly refrain from an argument. There are roughly twenty individual regions in Italy, each having a different outlook on food.

A pasta dish cooked in Sardinia will be slightly different to a pasta dish cooked in Lazio and Rome. The uniqueness with which the Italians approach their food and cooking is what sets Italy apart from other countries.

Certainly, Emilia-Romagna is the Daddy of Italian food regions, incorporating cities like Parma, Bologna and Modena.

What is it about Emilia-Romagna that sets it apart from other regions in Italy?

The incredible variety of its cuisine comes from the fact that the region is made up of two different areas: Emilia, the area between the Po valley and northern Tuscany, and Romagna, the mountainous country with the Adriatic coast to the east. Pasta, dairy produce, and fine meat are the contributions of the fertile Emilia; while aromatic herbs, tangy game, and fish dishes from the coast come from the sometimes rough and inaccessible Romagna.

Specialties from the cities complete the Italian menu. Parma is proud of its ham and culatello, Bologna offers the most exquisite mortadella, the best lasagne, and the most delicious tortellini in the world. Piacenza is the home of tortellini.

Reggio Emilia is famous for its braised meat and erbazzone, Ferrara is the sausage capital, and in Modena they serve the incomparably tasty zampone, or stuffed pig trotters. In Emilia-Romagna they live off good food in two senses - local specialties are consumed internally, and are also produced for export, thereby making a contribution to the wealth of the region.