Generality
The piadina or "piadina romagnola" is a food derived from cereals, typical of the Emilia Romagna region. Even its origins see it as the protagonist of the central-northern tradition, more precisely of the Adriatic coast (Romagna and Marche-Pesaro). A little to the north, the Emilia-based alterego of piadina is represented by the tigella.
Piadina is on the official list of traditional Italian food products.
It looks like a flat disk, more or less thick (based on the area / common of production), of a pale yellow color spotted by obvious darker patches given by the cooking to the plate. The taste of piadina is rich, fat and basically salty. The organoleptic difference between a fresh piadina compared to the packaged one (less valuable) is considerable. In northern Romagna the piadina is smaller, thicker and softer, while in the south-Romagna areas and in the Pesaro area it is typically wider, thin and crumbly.
The gastronomic function of piadina is to accompany dishes, sauces, cheeses and cured meats (such as bread); the whole and stuffed one represents a quite common snack, which can replace (from the energy point of view) a main meal (lunch or dinner). Its nutritional characteristics are not the best; in itself it contains many saturated fats and the foods that, by definition, are consumed in combination (cold cuts and cheeses) are no less.
History
The term "piadina" has rather complex roots; starting from the Greek " planthanon ", which means "long plate", it was acquired from the medieval Latin " plathara ", later evolved into pladena, and finally crippled in dialect with the term " piada " (hence the diminutive "piadina"). Curiously, Plathara - padena - piada indicate a vessel in the shape of a vase, which is why the Greek term reflects (much more than Italian dialectal nouns) the true shape of the Romagna piadina.
Historically, piadina is mentioned for the first time in the book Descriptio Romandiolae, dating back to the 14th century, written by a French cardinal who lived in Italy: Anglico de Grimoard . He refers to piadina describing a bread made from wheat flour, water or milk, salt and lard; in this version of the piadina it is therefore not clear whether the lard was used as an ingredient in the dough or as a side dish. The difference may seem irrelevant, but it is not. To understand the true origins of piadina it is necessary to understand whether this was born for the first time among the less wealthy population or in the showy noble / clergy palaces.
At that time, the discrepancy between the food of the more wealthy social classes compared to that of the common people was considerable; the most significant difference was the presence or absence of food of animal origin (eg lard, eggs, etc.). If, for example, lard had been a filling, it could be hypothesized that the recipe for the first piadina (flour, water and salt) was common among the general population; on the contrary, the presence of fat in the dough would connect it exclusively in the diet of the higher social classes.
A plausible hypothesis is that the current piadina is the culinary evolution from the crescia romagnola, a dough based on: flour, eggs, pepper and lard. This preparation, typical of the area between the Romagna Apennines, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria (Montefeltro area), was an exclusive food of the clergy and nobility.
On the contrary, assuming that the "archaic" piadina was composed of a SIMPLE dough based on flour and water, its roots could be even more ancient. Still in the Montefeltro area, since ancient times, the population has learned to survive by using the fruits of the forest harvest. In this hilly region, in addition to the most well-known edibles (mushrooms, berries, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts etc.), it was customary to consume also the oak hooks. These, to acquire a greater level of edibility need to be cooked (to partially eliminate the tannins), were reduced to powder, mixed with water and cooked on hot stones. Perhaps the first piadina was the acorn cake or acorn focaccia .
It is not clear whether the piadina was born as a poor food or rich food; however, since the rearing of domestic swine has also spread among the general population, lard has no longer constituted a particularly expensive food.
Piadina in the kitchen
Like many other starchy-based preparations, piadina can also be produced with different recipes. Not surprisingly, as anticipated, the food takes on a quite different appearance and consistency depending on the area of production (therefore the local tradition).
The recipe for a good piadina is almost invaluable, since, being a simple food, it varies considerably even if only a few details are changed in the choice of ingredients and in the procedure. The dough is made from refined flour, water or milk, fine salt, raising agent (chemical yeast, baking soda, brewer's yeast, etc.), lard (some healthy recipes replace it with extra virgin olive oil produced by Romagna olive groves), salt and sometimes sugar. The preparation method is not complex but requires the use of a cooking plate, a text from Romagna (pan typical of the area) or slabs of stone / terracotta (cooking time: 1-2 minutes, taking care to break the bubbles that form on the surface). It is important to point out that piadina is a little or not at all leavened bread, depending on the specific recipe. The dough should be left to rest and not grow, while the more or less soft consistency is a characteristic that is outlined during cooking. From the same base it is not advisable to obtain thick tortillas and thin piadinas, while it is advisable to respect the form imposed by the recipe; different shapes usually correspond to different weights of dough.
The classic piadina is stuffed with the products of the native land. For vegetables, they stand out among all the cooked herbs; these are essentially: watercress, chicory, chard and dandelion, boiled and sautéed with garlic. There is no lack of rocket, salad and fresh tomatoes, but not even the other grilled vegetables (onion, zucchini, aubergines, peppers). As for the products of animal origin, they are frequently used: pork salami (hams, salami, rolled pancetta, lard, coppa etc.) and fresh cheeses (such as, for example, squacquerone and mozzarella).
Romagna piadina can be enjoyed with a not too full-bodied glass of Lambrusco wine.
Video Recipe of the Traditional Romagna Piadina
Recipe for Piadina - How to make Piadine
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeNutritional characteristics
Piadina is a food that does not lend itself to customary nutrition; its nutritional composition shows an evident excess of energy, which can compromise the balance of the body masses favoring overweight.
This surplus comes essentially from the generous amount of complex carbohydrates, in association with lard or oil (while proteins are not many). Piadina is also a low-hydrated food and the amount of fiber is uninspiring. This results in reduced satiating power compared to an energy density that is by no means negligible. The piadina made with lard provides a significant amount of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. That stuffed with cured meats, in addition to further increasing these nutritional components, brings significant amounts of sodium. In summary, piadina does NOT lend itself to the nutrition of people suffering from metabolic disorders: hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
Select the ingredients and discover the calories of your favorite piadina
As for mineral salts and vitamins, piadina does not differ substantially from bread and other derivatives.
As a result, consumption of piadina should be sporadic and not routine.
A decisive health improvement is obtained by replacing the whole wheat flour with the refined, the lard oil, the vegetables with cured meats and the tofu with pasta filata cheeses. For those who appreciate the full-bodied taste of well-stuffed classic piadine, the taste of such a piadina is certainly not exciting; anyway, for those who want to try it anyway, we have prepared a special video recipe.
Video Recipe of Vegan Wines with flavored Tofu
