Visitors to Ferrara certainly cannot miss an encounter with traditional Emilian delicacies. Start with the fragrant bread. With its unmistakable "couple" shape, it has become one of the symbols of this city.
Among the typical dishes of the area, we recall:

- cappelletti in brodo – cappelletti au bouillon,  which are the Ferrara version of tortellini, and legend has it that they were created in the image and likeness of Venus' navel. The recipe calls for a meat "batù” wrapped in home made egg pasta;

– i cappellacci di zucca,  a very special dish with a pumpkin and parmesan filling, wrapped in a thin egg pasta shape that was inspired by one of the hats of Lucrezia Borgia, who was Duchess of Ferrara from 1505 to 1519;

– il pasticcio di maccheroni ferrarese,  an ancient Ferrarese dish dating back to the 16th century. The shape can be compared to a priest's hat and was mainly consumed during carnival. It is a contrast between sweet and savory. It is in fact a sweet pastry crust filled with macaroni mixed with a white ragout, bechamel, mushrooms, nutmeg and truffle;

– la salama da sugo, a sausage stuffed with pork, wine and spices, seasoned for a whole year. It is usually served with mashed potatoes to bring out its distinctive flavor;

– l’anguilla, a specialty from the town of Comacchio, this dish boasts approximately 48 various recipes;

– la torta di tagliatelle, made with a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of dark almond marzipan covered in soft egg noodles, this traditional Emilian dessert was inspired by the Lucrezia Borgia's blonde hair;

– la tenerina, is a dessert made entirely of chocolate without the use of flour;

– il pampepato, o pampapato, is a round shaped dessert made of dark chocolate both in the dough and glaze, with hazelnuts, almonds, cinnamon and a hint of pepper. The origin of the name is found to have a double meaning Bread of the Papacy or Pepper bread, because it's spicy. Pampapato is a Ferrara specialty: flavored gently with orange, peppered with almonds throughout, and all coated again in dark chocolate;

– la zuppa inglese, a Ferrara specialty dessert from 1600. It is a pudding made of sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in alchermes liqueur that is layered alternating with a layer of pastry cream and cocoa. It is delicious and beautiful to see the variety of colour it displays;