ICRPS 2013: Exploring Local Cuisine

by Farhana Abutalib 19/06/2013, on day 2 of the 2013 Summer Insitute

Today, ICRPS participants had a full day of theory in comparative policy, research methodology and piadine! Our morning presenters Tom Johnson, Ray Bollman and John Bryden outlined key concepts of comparative rural policy, and the challenges of measuring and assessing rurality. John Devlin and Denise Lach introduced participants to social and policy research and research and analysis methods, respectively. During the late afternoon, our group had the opportunity to attend a special master’s course led by the “Sfogine” (who are traditional pasta and bread makers). Our group was guided through the process of making “la piadina Romagnola” or piadine (pah-dee-na), a traditional local flatbread enjoyed in Bertinoro. The University of Bertinoro takes pride in using local products which were used during our cooking adventure! See below for the recipe to make your own piadine!

La Piadina Romagnola
(serves 10)
1 kg white flour (preferably “00”* or cake flour)
½ litre milk
200g lard* or olive oil
2 teaspoons of sweetened yeast
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Knead for 10 minutes and cook on a cast iron pan for 3 minutes per side or until light brown.

*=ingredients for traditional recipe

Enjoy!