Piadina needs no introduction. No matter where you go, everyone knows its name and delicious taste.

For those of you who are not familiar with it, all you need to know is that it’s the king of flatbread and of street food in Romagna.

Depending on where you decide to spend your holiday, you will hear its name pronounced in different ways according to the dialect variations – Pieda, piè, piada, pij, pida, piadèna, piadina.

There is also a halo of mystery around its origins, nobody knows where and when it was created, but it’s part of the culture of Romagna and no one can resist it.

The ingredients are few and simple: flour, lard, salt, water or milk. Its thickness depends on the area where it is produced: thicker in Ravenna, thinner moving southwards towards Riccione.

Round in shape, just cut it into slices and put it in a basket at the centre of the table, and then let your instinct and fantasy guide you with the filling. Cheese, herbs, vegetables, charcuterie or Nutella: everything fits into a great piadina.

Tagliatelle is the most renowned fresh pasta dish of the whole Emilia-Romagna region.

Its preparation is really basic but the results are extraordinary: flour and eggs for the pasta,  pork, beef, sausage, tomato, carrots, celery, onion, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, salt and pepper for the filling.

My dear friend Paolo says that the world would be an ugly place to live in without tagliatelle. Of course he’s exaggerating, but it gives a good idea of what this homemade pasta represents for a true local like him.

One tagliatella dish may lead to another, and when the plate is empty, you clean it up using piadina to sponge up the sauce. A piece of advice: always match tagliatelle with a generous glass of Sangiovese DOC red wine.

Pinzimonio is not a typical dish of Romagna, but it’s hardly missing on our menus.

Raw fennels, radishes, carrots, celery: it’s as simple as raw vegetables dipped in an oil sauce. This custom allegedly dates back to the Renaissance and, despite the many variations, the classic sauce including olive oil, salt and pepper is still the most appreciated one.

For vegetarians, and not only!

I’m fully aware that fish skewers are not an exclusive plate of Romagna, but when my Milanese friends visit me it’s the second thing they ask for (after piadina).

Wherever you go, from the Lidi Estensi (Ferrara) to the beach resorts in Riccione, small stands on the beachfront are serving take-away fish skewers. They’re usually prepared with king prawns, squids, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and oil.

It’s not a sardine, it’s not an anchovy, it’s just a saraghina.

This type of oily fish that is one of Romagna’s most famous dishes, so much so that even Federico Fellini named one of his characters after it in his movie”8½”.

It’s perfect on croutons for fancy aperitifs or delicious appetizers, it completes the sauce for pasta as main dish, and it’s excellent when grilled.

Clean it and season it with salt, pepper, olive oil and roast it on breacrumbs, let it grill for 5 minutes and then serve it hot to your guests. It’ll be the meal of their life.