One of most notable gastronomic cities in Italy is Parma: the home of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano.
It’s been a decade since I last visited Parma where I went to both a prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano producer and got to see how these phenomenal products were made. Without a doubt, these two products are prized possessions of the country due to their high quality and years of tradition.
Our time in Parma was short and sweet, only one night, and we stayed at Novotel Parma Centro Hotel near the train station. Since we only had one night in the city, we didn’t visit any producers this time around unfortunately.
Once dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we walked around the historic city center.
Their main attraction is the Cattedrale di Parma, a magnificent Roman Catholic cathedral where construction began is 1059. The interior was incredible with all the intricate ornate details.
Our dinner was a little outside the city center, about a 30 minute walk, at Ristorante Cocchi. This trattoria serves traditional Emilia-Romagna cuisine which happened to be one of our favorite meals of our entire trip.
Ristorante Cocchi.
Ristorante Cocchi.
Complimentary Fried Dough.
Warm morsels of pillowy fried dough. So yummy.
Prosciutto di Parma.
I absolutely adore Prosciutto di Parma. It’s salty and sweet and the flavor is unmatched.
Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Fried Bread.
No other way to round out the appetizers without the King of cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano. We also asked for some Gorgonzola Dolce which is another favorite of ours.
Culatello di Zibello and Salame.
This Culatello di Zibello was immaculate. The meat just melted into your mouth. Spectacular flavor and texture.
Anolini in Brodo.
These traditional stuffed egg pasta were filled with stewed beef served in a delicious broth. So comforting.
Bis di Torelli d’Erbette and Torelli di Patate con Tartufo Nero.
The duo of tortelli were fantastic. The tortelli d’erbette were stuffed with greens tossed in butter and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. The other tortelli were stuffed with potato in a creamy black truffle sauce.
Punta di Vitello Ripiena alla Parmigiana.
This is a traditional dish that I’ve never even heard of but it was a pleasant surprise. Inside the veal was a mixture of cheesy goodness.
Verdure Ripassate.
Sautéed vegetables accompanied the veal main dish.
Tortino di Cioccolata al Mango and Semifreddo di Zabaione con Amaretti.
Simple desserts but both satisfied our sweet tooth. I especially loved the zabaione semifreddo with the crunchy amaretti cookies.
Parma is by far one of the best cities in Italy for outstanding cuisine. If you love food as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed coming here.
Simple and concise.