Generality
There piadina or "piadina romagnola" is a food derived from cereals, typical of the Emilia Romagna region. Its origins also see it as the protagonist of the central-northern tradition, more precisely of the Adriatic coast (Romagna and Marche-Pesaro area). A little further north, the Emilian alter ego of the piadina is represented by the tigella.
Piadina is part of the official list of traditional Italian food products.
It looks like a disc with a flat shape, more or less thick (depending on the area / municipality of production), of a yellowish color spotted by evident darker spots given by cooking to the plate. The flavor of the piadina is of rich, fatty and basically salty bread. The organoleptic difference between a fresh piadina and a packaged one (less valuable) is remarkable. In the north-Romagna areas the piadina is smaller, thicker and softer, while in the south-Romagna and Pesaro areas it is typically wider, thinner and crumbly.
The gastronomic function of the piadina is an accompaniment to dishes, sauces, cheeses and cold cuts (such as bread); the whole and stuffed one is a very popular snack, which can replace (from an 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 (cured meats and cheeses) are no less.
History
The term "piadina" has rather complex roots; starting from the Greek "planthanon", which means" long plate ", was acquired from medieval Latin"plathara", then evolved into pladena, and finally crippled in dialect with the term "piada"(hence the diminutive" piadina "). Curiously, Plathara - padena - piada indicate a container in the shape of a vase, which is why the Greek term reflects (much more than the Italian dialect nouns) the true shape of the Romagna piadina.
Historically, the 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 the piadina describing a bread made of 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 of the dough or as a side dish. The difference may seem irrelevant, but it is not. To understand the true origins of the piadina, it is necessary to understand whether it was born for first time among the less well-to-do population or in the showy noble / clergy palaces.
At that time, the discrepancy between the diet of the wealthier social classes compared to that of the commoners was considerable; the most significant difference was the presence or absence of foods of animal origin (eg. Lard, eggs, etc.). if, for example, the lard had constituted a filling, it could be assumed 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 only connect it in the diet of the higher social classes.
A plausible hypothesis is that the current piadina is the culinary evolution from grows romagnola, a mixture based on: flour, eggs, pepper and lard. This preparation, typical of the area between the Romagna, Marche, Tuscan and Umbrian Apennines (Montefeltro area), was an exclusive food for the clergy and nobility.
On the contrary, supposing that the "archaic" piadina was composed of a SIMPLE dough based on flour and water, its roots could be even more ancient. Always in the Montefeltro area, since ancient times, the population has learned to survive 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 also customary to consume the oak CORNERS. These, which in order to acquire a higher level of edibility need to be cooked (to partially eliminate the tannins), were reduced to powder, mixed with water and cooked on hot stones. the first piadina was the acorn bread or acorn cake.
It is not clear whether the piadina was born as a poor food or a rich food; however, since the breeding of domestic pigs has also spread among the general population, lard has no longer been a particularly expensive food.
Piadina in the kitchen
Like many other farinaceous preparations, even the piadina can be produced with different recipes. It is no coincidence that, as anticipated, the food takes on a very different appearance and consistency according to the production area (and therefore to local tradition).
The recipe for a good piadina is almost invaluable, since, being a simple food, it varies considerably even by modifying a few details in the choice of ingredients and in the procedure. The dough is made from refined flour, water or milk, fine salt, leavening agent (chemical yeast, sodium bicarbonate, brewer's yeast, etc.), lard (some health recipes replace it with extra virgin olive oil produced by olive groves of Romagna), salt and, at times, sugar. The method of preparation is not complex but requires the use of a cooking plate, a Romagna text (pan typical of the area) or stone / terracotta slabs (time of cooking: 1-2 minutes, taking care to break the bubbles that form on the surface). It is important to point out that the piadina represents a little or no leavened bread, depending on the specific recipe. The dough must be left to rest and not grow, while the more or less soft consistency is a characteristic that emerges during cooking. From the same base it is not advisable to obtain thick wraps and thin wraps, while it is advisable to respect the shape imposed by the recipe; to different shapes, usually, correspond equally different weights of the dough.
The classic piadina is stuffed with products from the native land. For vegetables, cooked herbs are distinguished from all; these are essentially: watercress, chicory, chard and dandelion, boiled and sautéed with garlic. There is no shortage of rocket, salad and fresh tomatoes, but not even the other grilled vegetables (onion, courgette, eggplant, peppers). concerning products of animal origin, the following are frequently used: pork cured meats (hams, salamis, rolled bacon, lard, coppa, etc.) and fresh cheeses (such as, for example, squacquerone and mozzarella).
The Romagna piadina can be enjoyed with a glass of not too full-bodied Lambrusco wine.
Video Recipe of Traditional Romagna Piadina
Recipe for Piadina - How to make Piadine
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Nutritional characteristics
Piadina is a food that does not lend itself to the usual diet; its nutritional composition shows an evident excess of energy, which can compromise the balance of body masses favoring overweight.
This excess comes essentially from the generous quantity of complex carbohydrates, in association with lard or oil (while there are not many proteins). Piadina is also a poorly hydrated food and the quantity of fiber does not excite. This leads to a reduced satiating power. compared to an energy density by no means negligible. The piadina made with lard brings a considerable amount of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. The one stuffed with cured meats, in addition to further increasing these nutritional components, brings considerable quantities of sodium. In summary, the piadina is NOT suitable for the diet of people suffering from metabolic pathologies: hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
Select the ingredients and find out the calories of your favorite piadina
As far as mineral salts and vitamins are concerned, piadina does not differ substantially from bread and other derivatives.
Consequently, the consumption of piadina should be sporadic and not habitual.
A decisive health improvement is obtained by replacing wholemeal flour with refined, oil with lard, vegetables with salami and tofu with spun curd cheeses. For those who appreciate the full-bodied taste of well-stuffed classic wraps, the flavor of a similar piadina certainly not exciting, however, for those who want to try it anyway, we have prepared a "special video recipe.
Video Recipe of Vegan Wraps with flavored Tofu
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