Terracotta bread

Very typical of Modena are the tigelle, here locally also called crescentine. I arranged to meet in the center of Modena with Annamaria Resca and Andrea Brighenti of La Chersenta. Annamaria explains that the terracotta stones between which this type of bread used to be baked are actually called tigelle, but the original name of the flatbread should be crescentina. “However, in almost all of Italy they use the term tigelle for the bread,” she clarifies.

It is considered the ancient mountain bread and is a specialty handed down for centuries. In fact, to prepare the crescentina you need very little. These are also only natural ingredients: flour white or integral, water, lard, salt and brewer’s yeast.”

“The terracotta tigelle bricks with the raw dough between them used to be placed in the front of the fireplace,” Andrea adds. “The different bricks are built on top of each other in a tower, with a piece of dough between each one. With the warmth of the fireplace, the dough was baked. Now there are special baking irons that work on electricity. The inside is usually still made of stone. They are called: tigelliere.”

“The crescentina or tigella is filled immediately after baking,” Annamaria continued.

Address: La Chersenta, Via Luigi Albinelli 46, Modena