Tripe stewed soft with tomato, butter and broth, finished under so much Parmigiano it barely needs the name explained. Market-day food that Parma's trattorias never dropped.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Tripe was the Ghiaia market's working lunch, cheap offal cooked long until silky, and alla parmigiana here means what it says: finished with abundant Parmigiano Reggiano and butter rather than baked like the southern aubergine dish. Thursday was the traditional tripe day across the city's osterias. The countryside trattorias around Parma, Gaione and Vigatto especially, still list it beside the tortelli as a loyalty test.
Common allergens: Milk
Tip from the editors. The dish is ready when a ribbon cuts with the side of a spoon; undercooked tripe loses the argument for the whole tradition.
Trattoria Antichi Sapori's Bib Gourmand menu in Gaione holds tortelli at 12 euro and trippa alla parmigiana at 14, countryside prices ten minutes from Parma.
Try: Tortelli and trippa
Tip: Weekday lunch is the quiet, cheap slot; Sunday needs a booking and patience.
Trattoria del Grillo in Vigatto won TV Parma's contest for the city's best torta fritta, pairing the fried puffs with Ponte Romano prosciutto crudo.
Signature: Torta fritta, Cappelletti in brodo di cappone, Gnocchi al salame e Lambrusco
Order: Torta fritta with prosciutto crudo, about 6.50 euro the basket.
Tip: Reservations are phone-only. The torta fritta arrives in waves, so pace the salumi board or the pasta courses will defeat you.
I Tri Siochett prices tortelli d'erbetta around nine euro and seconds under fifteen at Parma's edge, Bib Gourmand cooking at trattoria-of-old prices.
Try: Tortelli d'erbetta
Tip: Michelin files it under 'on a budget' and the menu agrees: pasta at 9 euro, mains topping out near 15.
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