Day 36: Black Gold
Today was the day we got to try traditional balsamic vinegar AKA black gold. Needless to say, our bodies were ready.
Italian breakfast at Croce di Malta – cappuccino and cornetto (with custard). The cappuccinos are a bit more frothy than back in Australia, and I have yet to come across a bad coffee here.
Anthony Bourdain has never steered us in the wrong direction, so when we wanted to visit a traditional balsamic vinegar producer and eat a lunch that used the ingredient, we followed Bourdain's footsteps and went to Acetaia Pedroni. It's out in the middle of nowhere, and you do need to make a reservation (they take them on their website) but when you get there they will offer you a free tour (take it) and then you'll get a fantastic lunch for €35 which gives you two kinds of pastas, two kinds of meats, omelette, dessert, water and wine. A good deal, no?
Our tour guide mentioned Anthony Bourdain and said that after his show aired, their farm became so busy and filled with Americans. We played dumb and were like "oh yeah, we've heard of him" but didn't let on that he was the reason why we'd shown up too.
I can't get enough of tortelli. Especially when it's home made and doused in 12 year old balsamic.
Happiness.
More happiness.
Some ragu, which didn't have balsamic but was so damn good anyway.
Admittedly this was an ugly dish, but here's what's going on: a frittata which balsamic melting into the crevices, slow cooked lamb and lambrusco marinated chicken. Oh and little balsamic onions.
Gelato with 25 year old balsamic? Don't mind if I do.
The waiter just plonked three bottles of digestifs on our table and left. If we were trashbags and digestifs were delicious we would have taken advantage, buuuut they are just too strong for me so a little sip of one was good enough for me (and probably the right thing to do as well).
We decided to walk off the meal in nearby Modena. We forgot that everything closes for a few hours in the afternoon so it was a bit of a ghost town.
Little trucks!
Ornate locks. I like.
A sleepy, pretty city. Wake up! I want to see you when you're awake!
A large piazza. They were setting up for a concert near the back when we walked past.
Our last night in Parma so we had to get pumpkin ravioli. This was from Degusteria which is owned by the same people who own La Prosciutteria (both cool spots in town).
We also got to try agnolini in brodo (like tortellini in broth). It was nice to have something soupy and comforting.
Parma is done! My happy place. While I"m sad to leave, the next few weeks in Italy are sure to be pretty damn good too.
