Credits photo: Franco Musa – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0
Romagna is a region of northern Italy that, together with Emilia, forms the Emilia-Romagna region.
It is known as an Italian land rich in history, beauty, and typical culinary tradition.
The word “Romagna” derives from the Latin word “Romània” and dates back to the VI century AD. In those years Italy was divided under two different powers: that of the Lombards and that of the Eastern Roman Empire. “Romània” assumed the meaning of “Roman world” that opposed the Longobard one.
The origins of Romagna are very old and date back to prehistoric times. The first Romagnoli inhabitants of whom there are archaeological testimonies were the Umbrians and the Etruscans. From the 4th century BC, the territory was conquered by the power of the Celts. But from the 3rd century on, Romagna, after numerous clashes, was conquered by the power of the Romans who, in 402, chose and founded the city of Ravenna as the capital of the western part of the Roman empire, becoming a fundamental center for trade. With the invasion of the Lombards in 568, the Roman-Byzantine territories were united in the Exarchate of Italy with the capital Ravenna. In those years the Romagna remained as a sort of island with respect to the remaining Italian territory.
After the Lombards conquered Ravenna in 751 the territories of Romagna were donated to the Papal States, thus beginning the Papal State.
The region is also known for its culinary tradition, rich in dishes and recipes born from ancient origins handed down from generation to generation and characterized by simple dishes with poor and genuine ingredients.
Among the main products and recipes there are:
- Cappelletti: egg pasta in which the filling is placed, come in meat broth, usually chicken.
- Garganelli
- Passatelli in broth or dry
- Tagliatelle
- Tortelli
- Strozzapreti
- Castagnaccio – made with chestnut flour, raisins and pine nuts
- Lat Brulè: with eight egg yolks for a liter of milk with sugar and vanilla
- Migliaccio – sweet made with pig’s blood
- Squacquerone of Romagna
- Stracchino
- Crescione
- Piadina Romagnola
