Ravenna’s cuisine is not as famous as its artistic and cultural heritage. Yet, it would be a pity to leave the city without tasting one of the delicious dishes prepared by the azdore (literally translated, “the rulers of the house”).
Surely, there’s a lot more than the piadina, locals’ favourite flat bread. Ravenna’s cuisine consists of some delicacies that will make you forget about it, at least for a while. Let’s have a look at the menu then!
The traditional main courses
The first main course on our list is the king of Ravenna’s main courses, cappelletti con il ragù. Cappelletti are a kind of egg pasta filled with ricotta and raviggiolo (a typical cheese of Ravenna). Therefore, they can be considered as a vegetarian dish unlike tortellini bolognese which are traditionally filled with a mix of different types of meat. They’re usually served with ragù though, a meat-based sauce, and a great quantity of parmesan on top.
Another delicious main course is “spoja lorda”, filled with cheese as well, but shaped as a square with zig zag edges. It is a typical dish of the farm tradition and usually served in broth.
Marina di Ravenna’s mussels
When it comes to the second course, the closeness to the Adriatic Sea shows on the menu. You probably didn't know that the mussels served on Ravenna’s tables are fished a few kilometres away, in the waters of Marina di Ravenna.
The presence of wells has helped the natural development of these mussels, which can be found even 12 metres below sea level. The fishermen (called cozzari in Italian) carry them to the shore, where they are celebrated during the “Sagra della cozza di Marina di Ravenna” mussels festival, and of course used as main ingredient for excellent dishes.
The mussel soup for example, or tagliolini with mussels, mussels au gratin and many others recipes to be tasted during your food and wine tour in Ravenna!
The ciambella, Romagna’s ring-shaped cake
Last but not least, the dessert. Ravenna can offer a good range of savoury dishes, but not a very wide choice of desserts instead. Don’t worry, you will end your meal with a sugar rush anyway.
As it happens in the whole Emilia Romagna region, it’s very common to find zuppa inglese on the menu of Ravenna’s restaurants, as well as the ciambella, a ring-shaped cake (here baked without hole though). Ciambella is a good and light way to end your meal, as it’s made of very simple ingredients like eggs, flour, butter, sugar and zest. To be tasted with a glass of Albana di Romagna Passito wine.
