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 Romagna's
famous flatbread has been emblematic of the region
since the Middle Ages.
Also called piada or pié, the name piadina
derives from the word piadena, a wide
bowl or flat, low vase.
Piadine are in fact round and flat.
The doughówhich traditionally does not include
yeast, although recent versions call for itóis
made by kneading flour, lard, salt, and water together.
 Once
the dough is smooth and firm, it is left to rest for
thirty minutes, at whichpoint it is ready to be cut
and rolled out thin, then cooked over a hot surface.
Piadine are always served when soft and pliable, never
dried out, and they commonly accompany prosciutto,
cheese, or other antipasti.
Piadina romagnola, orpiada 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.
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
Piadina experts know that it is virtually impossible
and perhaps even wrong to establish the definitive
recipe. There are too many local variations which
vary from family to family to establish the exact
formula.
The same thing applies for more elaborate dishes:
everyone claims their recipe to be the real one.
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