TERRE DI PO E DEI GONZAGA
Eight municipalities, the river Po, the magic of a land
Un territorio da esplorare lentamente, magari in sella ad una bicicletta,
con tante storie da vivere, a cui fa da sfondo il paesaggio del grande fiume Po
e il gusto inconfondibile dei sui prodotti tipici.
Places
The Sbrisolona cake
An ancient recipe, which dates back to the Gonzaga era, but of poor origins, precisely because it was prepared with ingredients typical of the rural tradition: the Sbrisolona cake. Its name derives from the dialect, precisely because it is very crumbly, so much so that it is broken by hand and not cut into regular slices.
The recipe today provides that the flours (white and yellow) and the sugar are in equal parts, reason why in the past this cake was called "cake of the three cups", also the ingredients should not be minced, indeed, the characteristic feature of sweet is in its irregular consistency, due to the fast processing and the rough cut of almonds.
THE MUSTARD
The River Po is an area of ancient boundaries, a transit of armies and the passage of pilgrims from north to south, places of cultural and gastronomic contaminations where food takes on its own identity.
THE PUMPKIN
The Reggio pumpkin is the typical vegetable of the lands of the "low" reggiana. The varieties are many and very different.
BLASAMIC VINEGAR
One of the gastronomic highlights of the area is the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, a historical product of which the Benedictine monk Abate Donizone describes the existence as early as 1046 in the poem "Life Mathildis". This precious "balsam" is produced only in the area of the Italian Historical Acetaia which coincides with part of the Province of Reggio Emilia.
THE ONION
The onion - scientific name Allium cepa - has very distant roots, from the ancient Egypt, where it was cultivated since the fourth millennium BC. Since 1400 and for more than 5 centuries it has been one of the leading products of the agriculture of the lower Reggio area.
THE ZUCCHELLA PLUM
Small and firm but so juicy. The origin of the Zucchella etymology seems to derive from its characteristic "Suchéla", full of juice. It was bought in the Brescello area fromMaria Louise of Austria, whose duchy at the beginning of the nineteenth century extended to the area of Guastalla. It seems that the duchess greatly appreciated these plums.
THE CATFISH
The Catfish is a typical species of fish living in stagnant or slow-flowing waters, with soft, muddy bottoms. It also adapts well to extreme conditions, in hot and oxygen-poor waters. For these reasons, as well as for the flavor of its meat, it is bred in extensive fish farms.
THE WHITE POPLAR
The white poplar, a distinctive element of the landscape of the territory close to the river Po, brings us back to the myth of Fetonte who dragged in his crazy flight on the cart of his father Elios fell into the river Po. His desperate sisters were transformed by gods pity in and into lithe white poplars and their tears in the precious amber.
THE PIKE
An fish that has always been present in the Po river is the pike, so much to give its name to the city of Luzzara. In past times, in fact, Luzzara was known as Luciara, derived from the word Luccio, pike.