12 local food Updated September 29, 2026

What to eat in Parma

The Food Valley on a plate, and what it costs now

Parmigiano, prosciutto, culatello, anolini, tortelli and torta fritta, with what each costs now and where to order it.

A wedge of aged Parmigiano Reggiano with rough chunks broken off beside a small cheese knifeWorth it

Parmigiano Reggiano

Milk, salt and rennet, aged 12 months or more. Buy it at a dairy shop in 1 kg pieces, where 24-month costs €22.90, and know that Americans can fly it home and Britons cannot.

€22.90 per kg, 24-month Aged 12 months minimum US allows it, the UK does not
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Pairs well with

Parmigiano Reggiano dairy visitBuying Parmigiano and prosciutto to take homeCaseifici Aperti (Open Dairies)
Thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma draped on a white plate with breadsticksWorth it

Prosciutto di Parma

Pork and sea salt, aged at least 14 months under the current rules, branded with the five-point ducal crown. About €35 a kilo in Parma. Neither US nor UK customs will let you carry it home.

Aged 14 months minimum About €35 per kg in Parma Not allowed in US or UK luggage
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Pairs well with

Prosciutto house visit in LanghiranoCulatello di ZibelloFestival del Prosciutto di Parma
Thin ruby-red slices of culatello fanned on a slate board with butter and breadWorth it

Culatello di Zibello

The fog-cured heart of the ham from the Po flatlands. About €100 a kilo, only 82,570 branded in 2025, and best met as a €14 plate before you commit to a whole one.

About €100 per kg, half piece Aged 10 months minimum The Bassa, along the Po
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Is culatello worth the price?Culatello cellar tastingAntica Corte Pallavicina
A bowl of small round anolini in clear meat broth with grated ParmigianoWorth it

Anolini in brodo

Round pasta filled with slow-braised beef and Parmigiano, floated in a capon or beef broth. A Christmas dish that Parma trattorie serve all year for €13 to €14.

€13–€14 a bowl in Parma Beef-filled pasta in broth Christmas dish, served all year
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Trattoria del TribunaleTrattoria Ai Due PlataniTortelli di erbetta
Square tortelli filled with ricotta and chard, glossy with butter and ParmigianoWorth it

Tortelli di erbetta

Big square ravioli of chard and ricotta, drowned in melted butter and Parmigiano. Parma eats them on the night of June 23; trattorie serve them all year for €11 to €13.

€11–€13 a plate in Parma Chard, ricotta, butter San Giovanni night, June 23
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Anolini in brodoTrattoria del TribunaleTrattoria Ai Due Platani
A basket of puffed fried dough squares beside a plate of sliced cured meatsWorth it

Torta fritta

Hot pillows of fried dough that you split and fill with prosciutto, culatello or salame. The cheapest thing on a Parma menu, at €3 to €4.50 a basket, and the one to order first.

€3–€4.50 a basket Eat hot, with salumi Called gnocco fritto in Modena
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Prosciutto di ParmaSalame di FelinoTrattoria del Tribunale
A Salame di Felino tied with string, partly sliced into long angled slicesWorth it

Salame di Felino

A soft, mild, coarse-cut pork salami, IGP since 2013 and traditionally sliced at a 60-degree angle. About €29 a kilo in Parma, €10 a plate, and not allowed in US or UK luggage.

About €27–€32 per kg in Parma IGP since March 5, 2013 Museum in Felino, 18 km out
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The Food Museums (Musei del Cibo)Torta frittaProsciutto di Parma
Warm slices of cooked pork shoulder with squares of fried polentaWorth it

Spalla cotta di San Secondo

Pork shoulder from San Secondo, cured for weeks, then simmered for hours and sliced warm. Verdi described how to cook it in a letter of 1872. A plate costs €10 to €14.

€10–€14 a plate in Parma Verdi's letter, April 27, 1872 From San Secondo, the Bassa
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Busseto and Verdi's countryTrattoria del TribunaleTrattoria Ai Due Platani
A soft roll filled with seasoned raw horse-meat tartareIt depends

Pesto di cavallo

Minced horse meat, eaten raw like a tartare or quickly seared. A Parma trattoria staple at €12 a plate, and the dish many British and American visitors will politely skip.

€12 a plate at Tribunale Raw or seared, your choice Horse meat: know before you order
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Trattoria del TribunaleBrisla TrattoriaSpalla cotta di San Secondo
A baked rice dome with a wedge cut away to show the meat ragù insideWorth it

Bomba di riso

A dome of buttery rice baked around a pigeon ragù and turned out whole. Few Parma kitchens still make it; Brisla Trattoria on Strada Farini lists it at €22 with a 25-minute wait.

€22 at Brisla Trattoria Cooked to order, 25 minutes Strada Farini 41/a
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Strada FariniEvening aperitivo walkAnolini in brodo
A glass of purple sparkling Lambrusco beside a glass of pale sparkling MalvasiaWorth it

Lambrusco and Malvasia

Frothy red Lambrusco for the salumi, aromatic white Malvasia from the hills for everything else. A trattoria bottle costs €12; a winery tasting in the Colli di Parma starts at €20.

House bottle €12 at Due Platani Winery tasting from €20 Colli di Parma, 20 km south
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Pairs well with

Wine tasting in the Colli di ParmaEnoteca FontanaEnoteca Tabarro
A bunch of fresh violets beside a dish of candied violet petalsIt depends

Violetta di Parma

Parma's violet is Marie Louise's flower and Borsari's perfume, first made in 1870. It is a souvenir to smell, not a food to eat, and its current prices we could not confirm.

A flower, a scent, a souvenir Borsari founded in 1870 Prices not verified, see below
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Pairs well with

Marie Louise, the Duchess who made ParmaMuseo Glauco LombardiTeatro Regio di Parma

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Everything else on the site, with what is in it.

Sights 15 Experiences 12 Events 7 Day trips 12 Walks 6 Areas 6 Hotels 12 Restaurants 16 Bars 6 Plan 8 Itineraries 6 Worth it? 8 Guides 5 Articles 4