Every time I go to Ferrara I make an effort to try as much local food as possible, and am yet to be disappointed! But as a first time tourist it's hard to know where to start. So here are my top recommendations for traditional foods to try in Ferrara, to help you make the most of your trip.
Capellacci
Popular at Christmastime but enjoyed all year round, capellacci are delectable pasta parcels with a pumpkin filling. They are usually served with a light coating of Ferrarese ragù and dusted with parmigiano.
The rich meat flavour of the sauce combined with the natural sweetness of pumpkin contrast beautifully. Capellacci come first on this list because I feel they are an utterly essential part of traditional Ferrarese cuisine.
Antipasto
Antipasto is served as a preamble to one's main meal throughout Italy. However, trying it in Ferrara will give you a great sense for Ferrarese flavours as the contents vary depending on what region you're in.
Meat:
Two meats you'll often find in Ferrarese Antipasti are salame zia - a sweet, hard salame with garlic and pepper - and mortadella (popular in Ferrara due to the city's proximity to Bologna). We tried some sumptuous truffle mortadella in an antipasto at Cusina e Butega, served with salame, prosciutto crudo, capocollo and two hard cheeses.
Cheese:
As a general rule, the cheeses served in Ferrarese antipasto are hard and usually include parmigiano or pecorino. They are deliberately not too pungent, meaning they can pair nicely with the salame of choice - usually salame dolce (non-spicy) - without overpowering it.
Bread:
Bread - usually white in Ferrara - is another imporant element of antipasto. When dining at La Rachetta, I particularly enjoyed tigelle. These round, fillable flatbreads - enjoyed across the Emilia-Romagna region - were served with salame zia, parmigiano, fresh basil pesto and a creamy cheese dip.
However, the best antipasto bread I tried in Ferrara were pinzini.
Pinzini
Decidedly less chunky than tirelli, pinzini are fried, hollow flatbreads. They have a distinctively fatty flavour and yet are very light on the palate meaning you can eat a lot of them and still have room for your main course(s)!
Fill your pinzino by ripping a hole in the side and stuffing it with a hunk of cheese and some folded salame. If you ask me, it's the best bread accompaniment to antipasto that you can find in the region. In fact, pinzini are native to the city.
However, if you ask someone from Ferrara what their favourite bread is, they might just tell you it's crostino.
Crostino (aka. coppia ferrarese or pane ferrarese)
Crostino is a type of hard, twisted white bread, formed into a flat cross. It's great for sharing, with it's size and shape being perfect for nibbling on and tearing off pieces for your friends.
Crostini are so ubiquitous that you'll find them waiting for you on the table in many Ferrarese restaurants as something to nibble on while you decide what to order.
This bread has a rather unique texture in that it's hard but not overly dry and not chewy at all. Rather unexpectedly, it just melts in your mouth. For this reason, it's often given to babies as one of their first foods.
It's also perfect for dipping in ragù or any other sauce you have left over from dinner.
Piadine
A piadina flatbread stuffed with cheese, meat and maybe some salad is a must-try when it comes to Ferrarese cuisine.
Like pinzini, piadine have a fatty quality thanks to the use of lard (or oil). This makes them incredibly filling, especially when stuffed with prosciutto, soft cheese and a handful of rucola... Heaven!
(If you ask me, this combo is wonderfully topped off with a garnish of parmigiano, black pepper and, of course, olive oil.)
You can put virtually anything you like in a piadina, even nutella! And at local piadina joints, you'll find yourself spoilt for choice when it comes to fillings.
Tenerina
Often mistaken for a brownie, tenerina is a naturally gluten-free chocolate desert made with potato starch. It's irresistibly light and refreshing despite its rich, sugary appearance.
The name comes from tenero - Italian for 'soft' or 'tender'. Indeed, the great thing about this cake is that you can always find space for a slice, even after the most indulgent meal. Because of its lightness, it's often served with something refreshing like mascarpone or whipped cream.
If you ask me this is one of the most important traditional foods to try in Ferrara as its universally loved texture and taste are simply unforgettable.
I ate it so quickly, I actually forgot to take a photo. The empty plate, I believe, speaks for itself!
Some final thoughts...
Is this an exhaustive list? Of course not. But these are the dishes that made the biggest impact on me and earned a soft spot in my heart.
If you're a fan of rich meat dishes, I'd recommend trying salame da sugo, and if you prefer something more straightforward you can't go wrong with a veal cotoletta.
However, if in doubt, I always recommend simply asking the locals what they recommend. Then you'll really be in for a treat!
