It seems that depending on the area, the tigella, or crescentina, takes on a different name. But it’s not just a matter of tradition: if we investigate the terms of Emilia-Romagna cuisine, we discover that the term “crescentina” indicates the dough made of flour cooked in small discs. “Tigelle” were instead originally the terracotta supports used to cook crescentines on the fire. It’s a classic case of metonymy, in which the content and the container are exchanged.

The tigella, or crescentina, was born a long time ago as a simple food of the peasant families. There was a real ritual that took place around the fire: on each tigella a series of crescentines was placed, alternating with dried chestnut leaves, and together they waited for cooking. Even today, tigelle are a traditional convivial food par excellence, to be enjoyed with cured meats, cheeses, lard, jam or honey: there is no menu in the Modena trattorias that does not include them.

At Exé Restaurant you can taste many dishes of the Emilia-Romagna tradition prepared by our chef Paolo Balboni, and rediscover ancient flavors that have reached us thanks to teachings proudly handed down from generation to generation.