Piacenza cuisine: a melting pot of flavours
Piacenza is proud of having a cuisine of note, combining the inheritance of a peasant tradition with the more refined and richer culinary practices of the nobility and upper clergy.
However, its unique character derives also from its particular geographical position, on the borders of Emilia, close to Lombardy, Liguria and Piedmont.
Piacenza shares in the tradition of Emilia, with first courses of fresh pasta and filled pasta, like anolini, tortelli, panzerotti and tagliatelle.
A typical speciality of Piacenza are the pisarèi e fasö, tasty little gnocchi made using stale bread and served with a sauce of tomatoes and borlotti beans.
Rich meat dishes characterise the second course, such as beef casserole (stracotto di manzo), roast guineafowl, cooked salame and game.
Without doubt it is worth tasting the picula ‘d caval, a speciality made from minced horsemeat stewed with tomatoes, onions and peppers, often served with polenta.
Then, the typical cured meats (salumi) should not be missed. They include the coppa, the salame and the pancetta of Piacenza, all three PDO, and the mariola (Slow Food presidium), which can be enjoyed with the bortellina or the gnocco fritto.
At the end of the meal, don't miss the desserts. It is impossible to resist the buslàn and buslanêi (sponges and biscuits), preferably dunked in a glass - or in the inns they use a bowl - of good sweet Malvasia.