FRIED PIADINA

In January 1920 an illustrated magazine La Pie was founded at Forlì and published by Aldo Spallicci. The Editorial claimed: “Nothing can describe Romagna better than our bread (...).So it is a symbol which cries devotion to our land”. This statement, together with the name given to the monthly magazine, shows the ability piadina has to identify and unite Romagna under one symbol. Identitying piadina with Romagna predates the foundation of La Pie and is to be attributed to the famous poet Giovanni Pascoli who called it “the national bread of the people of Romagna”.
Piadina romagnola, or piada romagnola, pie romagnola, pjida romagnola, pièda romagnola, pji
romagnola, pida romagnola, in Romagna means a flat mixture of wheat flour, water and salt and, in some places, other ingredients, too. The classical piadina romagnola is rolled out thinly with a rolling pin, placed on a low-rimmed terracotta plate (whose shape is rather primitive) and cooked on burning embers. You get a large circular disk, speckled brown by the heat, which is crumbly, tender with a very delicate flavour, and is best eaten with good local cured meat, fresh, soft cheese, wild herbs and a generous glass of Sangiovese di Romagna.

The basic piadina is made with: 1 kg of flour, 20 g of raising agent, 180-200 g of lard, a pinch of salt and half a litre of milk. Piadina traditionally made at home in the countryside has the following ingredients: flour, lard, sodium bicarbonate and sugar. The simplest is made, instead, without lard and with water instead of milk.